In My Father's Shoes
by tosakuai
Summary: Team 7's trials as adults. Naruto & Sakura are expecting their 1st child, but life and war get in the way. Sasuke is home in Konoha, but finds everyone moved on without him and he's forced to deal with a lot in order to move on with life.
1. All Grown Up

**All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto****. The Story is all mine.**

**Chapter 1: All Grown Up**

"Naruto!" she yelled. "Come here! Hurry!"

"What is it Sakura-chan?" he came in with concern written on his face.

"The baby just kicked!" she exclaimed. "Right here," she said motioning for her husband to touch her stomach where she had just felt the first tiny kick of their baby.

Sakura had been sitting on the couch of their small one bedroom apartment reading a baby supply catalog when she had felt the baby's movement. Naruto came in from the kitchenette wiping his hands on a towel. He came home to help out Sakura and had been making shiozake onigiri (grilled salmon filled rice balls) for Sakura's lunch after training all morning. He walked over to her and gently placed a hand on her swollen belly. She laid her hand on top of his and they waited with anticipation of the next tiny little kick.

"There, did you feel it?" Sakura said as a bright smile lit up her face.

"Uh, huh…" the new father replied with excitement and fear in his voice. He had never expected something so small to have made such a change in his life.

"Does that hurt?" he asked her with concern in his voice.

"No silly, it doesn't hurt at all. Although, Temari said that they will get a lot stronger and if the baby is really active it can hurt," she explained.

"I guess she would know. I remember Shikamaru complain about having to sleep on the couch because the baby kicked him really hard in the back a couple of times and he felt safer on the couch than in bed with Temari," he said with a sheepish grin.

"Well, lucky you our bed is big enough that we shouldn't have that problem," she replied with a giggle.

"Hey, you know how I sleep. I didn't want to wake you in the middle of the night and have you punch the crap out of me for doing so, dattebayo!" he said in defense.

He gave her a peck on the cheek before getting up to finish making lunch. 'He really could be sweet when the need called for it,' she thought to herself. He had been working so hard since they found out that she was expecting that he had really surprised her. Tsunade was surprised when he stopped complaining about getting B and C missions and the occasional D mission. They were short on healthy ninja ever since the last major attack on Konoha and they even needed Jounin to take over the lower ranked missions for a while. Naruto had been promoted to Jounin when he turned nine-teen, two years before Sasuke was brought home and things had settled down. Sakura became a Jounin shortly after that, but it had been almost seven months since their last mission together. It hadn't helped the village's situation when their friends started a small baby boom.

Temari and Shikamaru were the first to become parents, followed by Kiba and Hinata. Ino and her new husband, Ishi Mitsuhiro, who was the new manager of the flower shop, had just found out they are expecting twins early next spring. Everyone had thought she would end up with Sai, but she gave up on his social awkwardness in the end and had fallen for the tall man with dark yet handsome features her father had hired almost three years ago. If Sakura hadn't known better; she would say he looked like Iruka-sensei's little brother. He had moved to Konoha as a carpenter, but his forte` was Ikebana and Inoichi had been looking for someone to take over the shop to help Ino's mom since Ino needed to be on missions more and more. Iruka had married Ayame and they were expecting their second child about the same time Sakura and Naruto's baby was due in mid November. Everyone else was either working on a relationship or their careers; or were too busy to have kids any time soon.

"Hey Naruto, could you heat me up some miso soup too? My stomach has been upset today and I think that would help it settle down a bit," she called to her husband in the kitchenette. For some reason miso always seemed to calm her stomach down ever since she had battled morning sickness during the first trimester.

"I was just getting ready to heat up some water for a cup ramen, so you caught me just in time," he called back to her. No matter how much she tried to get him to eat healthier, he always had to have at least one bowl of ramen a day. This thought made her giggle a little to herself which made her tummy jiggle. She could feel another little kick in response to her laughter as if to say, "cut it out mom."

Sakura slowly pushed herself off the couch and waddled over to the small kitchen table where Naruto was setting out their lunch. She sat down and began to eat as he came back with a glass of milk for himself and a cup of ginger tea for Sakura.

"I made you some tea since you said you were a little queasy," he said as he set the tea in front of her. He flashed her one of his famous grins as he sat down.

"What would I do without you taking care of me you sweet baka," she teased. He blushed at her teasing and began to slurp down his noodles.

Once Naruto had emptied his cup of ramen, he stood up to make another before announcing, "I've almost got my new technique down."

"Really? That's great! How long before it's perfected?"

"Not too much longer. If I combine it with sage mode and use nature based moves I'll be able to attack before anyone knows what's going on. I've got the kunai all marked with Dad's seal; now I just need to get the timing perfected. Fukasaku is also sending me some scrolls to study, so don't be surprised if a messenger toad shows up while I'm gone. These scrolls are not something I want to carry around on a mission," he announced from the kitchen.

"Did Tsunade-shiso give you any idea what your mission will be about?" Sakura asked after taking a sip of tea. The days were getting colder and the ginger gave off a soothing aroma as she grasped the warm tea cup in both hands.

"No, but Shizune didn't make it sound like it was that big of a deal. Probably just some boring escort mission again, dattebayo," he said carrying in a second cup of ramen. "The worst part will be Tora complaining about the lack of fighting the whole time. You thought I was bad…" he said with a Cheshire cat grin.

"Naruto, no one can beat you in the art of complaining," she said with a hint of teasing in her voice.

"Well, I'm on the receiving end now. I _almost_ feel bad for what I put you guys through," he said with a strong emphasis on 'almost'. He sat down and quickly finished off his lunch. Sakura was still working on her tea and he grew suddenly quiet as he studied her growing features.

"I love you," he said with his voice full of emotion.

Sakura got up from the table and went over to his side. He pushed his chair back from the table and she sat sideways in his lap. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he put one arm around her back and one on her round tummy, she gave him a kiss on the lips. She ignored the tiny fluttering of kicks from the baby as she focused her attention on her best friend and lover. However, Naruto noticed and broke the kiss with a huge grin on his face as he rubbed the place where he felt the movement.

"I love you too," she said resting her forehead on his. She put her right hand on his cheek and stroked his whisker marks, sending shivers down his spine and causing him to almost purr. They knew these moments were precious and they savored them every chance they could.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Naruto had a meeting with Tsunade about the new mission she was sending him and his new Chuunin team on. Even a simple escort mission could mean that they would be gone for at least a couple of weeks. He walked down the street to the Hokage tower with his head down. Naruto had a lot on his mind and he let his subconscious navigate as he walked along the crowded street. He hated being away from Sakura while she was pregnant, but they needed the money so that they could move to a bigger place before the baby came. Since she was in no shape to do any packing or moving, he was planning on using shadow clones to do it, but they hadn't even had a chance to go looking yet. He hadn't imagined that having a family meant so much responsibility. Gone were the days of doing whatever they wanted to do or complaining about missions that were "boring".

He was turning twenty-two in October, but it still felt a little strange for the former village prankster to now be one of the adults. He had started wearing the longer red sage coat over an orange and black jump suit once he had mastered sage techniques and some referred to him as the blonde Jiraiya with the way he dressed. He even carried the large toad contract scroll on his back. He had finally hit the last of his growth spurts too and had now reached a little over six feet tall. Naruto's features were more mature as well and the whisker marks were now on much more angular cheeks. His broad shoulders were already starting to bear the weight of the village as he moved closer to the day when he would be the next Hokage.

He had been married to Sakura only a couple of months when they found out about the baby. He hadn't really let it sink in until they heard the baby's heartbeat. Tsunade had asked to be their doctor although she was usually was too busy with paperwork to do maternity appointments, however she had said this one was special. The Hokage was acting like an expectant grandmother with this baby and it was so out of character for the super powered woman that they let her have her fun. He let out a great big sigh as he walked up the stairs to the Hokage's office. What worried him the most about being away from Sakura right now was that she seemed like she had no energy and even getting around the apartment could wear her out. She wasn't acting like the same girl with monstrous strength he had always known and he wasn't sure she would be OK without him around.

'No wonder grownups are always so quiet,' he pondered as he walked. 'There is way too much to think about all the time.' He was starting to get a headache from all this worrying and pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind.

His team was waiting in the hallway in front of the Hokage's office. There were two boys and one girl all about 19 years old, but they seemed to be fairly relaxed (bordering on bored) when he arrived. He knocked at the door before going in, leading the way for his young Chuunin squad. The Hokage had just put together the new squads and this would be their first A-ranked mission as a team. He hoped it would be uneventful, but if it was a celebrity or wealthy person, there were always attacks by bandits or low class rogue ninja.

"Domo," he called as they entered the Hokage's office. He was still one of the few ninja she didn't yell at for not waiting for an answer before letting himself into her office.

"Ah Naruto, just in time," said Tsunade in her usual serious tone as she looked up from the paperwork she had been studying. "As you know this is an A-ranked escort mission. It will be to escort the Waterfall Country's princess to her wedding to the youngest son of the Fire countries Daimyo. I want your team to make sure that the trip is uneventful and that she arrives safely before the wedding next week. You will also add to the security at the wedding, so I want you to be prepared to stay until the Daimyo's personal guards take over fully once the honeymoon starts."

"Hai," said Naruto and his team. "Just one question, did she ask for my team personally?" Naruto inquired. He remembered the last time he had escorted her and she couldn't seem to keep her hands off of him, no matter how many dirty looks Sakura had given her.

"Yes, so you should feel honored that the Daimyo trust you enough to allow your team to go," she said with a smile. She had known full well from Sakura's reaction when they had gotten back what had happened with the Waterfall Country princess, even though Naruto had not done a thing to encourage her actions. At the mere mention of the princess's name, Sakura had thrown a chair out of Tsunade's office window. It then took Naruto another half hour to calm her back down before they could give Tsunade their report.

"Hai, well we'll be off as soon as we are ready to leave," he responded with only a slight blush on his cheeks. He hated guarding the Waterfall princess, but she was always asking for him no matter where they were escorting her to, even now that he was married and she was engaged. He turned to leave only to hear the Hokage clear her throat.

"One more thing, have Sakura stop by the hospital before you go. I want to have her help me with a few things and there is something I need to talk to her about," the Hokage added.

"Hai, Tsunade-baachan," he replied as he lead his team out the door. He may be growing up with his new title of dad, but he still couldn't bring himself to call her 'Hokage-sama'. His team followed him out the door and down the hall.

* * *

Tsunade was walking to the hospital to make her daily check on the staff and patients when she saw Sakura walking up the street. She had long since stopped wearing her usual vest and mini skirt in favor of a dress that covered her ever growing features. It was a longer red dress that resembled the one she use to wear as a Genin, but gone was the Haruno family crest and it was replaced by the Uzumaki swirl on the left sleeve similar to the one Naruto always had on his old jacket. Tsunade stopped and waited for her young apprentice to catch up before she continued onto the hospital. Sakura had spotted her and gave a little wave. She was finding it hard to pick up the pace, but she was walking as fast as possible in her condition. She kept thinking she should take walks more often. Without being able to train or go on missions, she was starting to get really stir crazy in their little apartment.

"Tsunade-sama, Naruto said you wanted to talk to me, so here I am," she smiled a worn smile. She was about ready for a nap when Naruto had swung by the apartment to tell her about Tsunade, the mission and to give her one last kiss before leaving town. She didn't like the details of his mission and she would miss him immensely, but they didn't have any other choice at the moment.

"Hello Sakura. Sorry to make you come all this way, but I wanted to discuss some things with you," replied the Hokage. She could see how tired Sakura was and felt sorry for her young apprentice. "Are you getting enough sleep? You look like you could take a nap right in the middle of the street," the older blonde asked.

"Well, I was about to fall asleep when Naruto stopped by the apartment. This kid is really draining all my energy away. We did have one bit of excitement this morning. We got to feel the baby's first kicks. Naruto was lucky he was home for lunch, or he would have missed it," Sakura bragged with a tired but excited smile on her lips.

"That was something I wanted to talk to you about. At your last appointment I was a little worried about how much energy the baby was taking from you and I wanted to have you stop by and let me check a few things to make sure the two of you were OK. I will need you to do some chakra building exercises and I'll have Hinata check your chakra levels at the same time," explained Tsunade.

They saw Hinata sitting on the edge of a bench in the hall outside one of the rooms of the maternity ward, her baby asleep in the carrier she had on her back. Hinata had been working part time at the hospital since her little girl, Kita, was born. With all the new little babies Tsunade was really thinking that they needed to get that new preschool worked out before all these babies turned two. She thought it was ironic that once Akatsuki and Sasuke were old news how quickly their population had taken off. It was like a weight had been lifted off the whole village.

"Hello, Hinata," Sakura said greeting her friend with a quiet tone so as not to wake the baby. "I can't believe how big she's gotten since I last saw her and that little tuft of black hair… how cute. How have you and Kiba been adjusting to having her around?"

"She's been a real good baby so far, but I still have to get up a couple of times a night so I still feel like I don't get any sleep. She gave us her first smile the other day. It was when she heard Kiba and Akamaru coming home and it was just so precious," related the proud mom.

"OK, Sakura, Hinata, let's go into exam room three and get ready. First I'm going to check your progress then I'm going to hook you up to the baby monitor so that we can monitor both of your heart rates. I also want you to mold chakra at the same time. Hinata, watch her with your byakugan and let me know if there is anything out of the normal. Sakura, why don't you just lay down on the bed and let's get started," instructed Lady Tsunade.

Sakura laid down on one of the beds before Tsunade proceeded with listening to the baby's heart. Tsunade had done all the usual measurements of her growing belly and the baby's heart sounded good so they were ready for the chakra tests. Hinata had activated her byakugan while Sakura proceeded to mold chakra. Tsunade kept a watch on the monitor that they had hooked up to monitor the baby's and Sakura's heart rates. It didn't take long for them to run through the series of chakra molding excises before they were done. Sakura was looking even more worn out by the end and Tsunade had Sakura remain on the bed.

"Sakura, this won't take very long to get the results, so go ahead and take a nap. You look too tired to walk home and when you're ready come by my hospital office and we'll talk." Tsunade covered the poor girl up with the blanket from the end of the bed before giving the growing bulge on the bed next to her a loving touch. She and Hinata exited the room and closed the door behind them.

"Hinata, did you see what I think you saw?" the Hokage asked the young woman walking with her.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. The baby is already working on a good size chakra system. I haven't seen that well developed of a chakra system in such a little baby," said the shy kunoichi next to her. Hinata's little girl was still sleeping soundly. You could just see a little bit of black fuzz on the very top of the tiny head that peeked out of the carrier.

"That is what I thought. It isn't unheard of for babies of ninja parents to have chakra systems before they are born, and I've only seen it three times. It makes for a long and tiring pregnancy for the mom and Sakura already looks worn out. We'll just have to keep a close eye on her to make sure that she doesn't over do it. I don't think she'll need bed rest, but she's not going to have any energy to spare until after this baby is born," explained Tsunade as they continued down the hall toward the Hokage's small hospital office. She didn't use this office much and Sakura had been using it the most up until she went on maternity leave a week ago.

* * *

Knock knock

"Enter," replied Tsunade while she sat at her desk. You could tell this was normally Sakura's office, but Tsunade used it on occasion so that she didn't have to run back to the Hokage mansion every time she needed something. There was a wedding picture of Sakura and Naruto in the left corner of the small desk. Sakura had also set up a small bookshelf next to the desk at one point. It was filled with well worn medical journals and manuals that she had studied when she first started training with Tsunade. The office was very empty other than these two things that served as a reminder of the days when she used to be at the hospital almost daily. Tsunade sat with only one set of medical records in front of her.

"Domo," Sakura said as she entered. She looked much better now that she had had a small nap upstairs.

"Please have a seat. I think I know why you are tired all the time, more than a normal pregnancy anyway," Tsunade began as Sakura took a seat in the chair across from her.

"The baby is OK, right?" said the concerned first time mom.

"The baby is better than OK from what Hinata and I could tell. Sakura, there are only three times in my career that I've seen this before, once with Naruto's mom. Sakura, the baby is already working on its chakra system. That also means the baby is taking a lot of energy from you to do this. Kushina went through this when she was pregnant with Naruto. I didn't find anything in the Namikaze files and I don't have anything on any other Uzumaki relatives, so this may or may not be hereditary. This little one is most defiantly Naruto's child," she said with a smile. "Now, I don't want you to push yourself until after this baby is born. I suggest that you stick to just walks and keep the house work to a minimum. Now may be a good time to recruit your mom into helping while Naruto is on his missions. With as much as the baby pulls from you when you mold even a little bit of chakra, I don't think you'll be too useful if we have any hospital emergencies either. I wouldn't worry about this, but I do want you to let me know if you feel worse than usual, just in case."

"Yes, Shiso. So you really think the baby will be like Naruto when it comes to chakra capacity?" she asked her mentor.

"I don't know for sure, but Naruto, Sasuke and Itachi were like this before they were born and they all had good size chakra systems when they started the academy. Of course, part of Naruto's chakra capacity is now due to the Kyuubi, but he had a good sized one to start with. It may be part of the reason that the Fourth's seal worked so well on him. Kushina had a long pregnancy, or she said it felt like it, but you should have seen poor Sasuke's mom," she said with a sympathetic smile.

"Sasuke's mom had it both times? Oh, I hope this is it. I don't know if I can last two more months," said the young mother.

They talked a bit longer, mostly about village and hospital news. Tsunade helped Sakura out of her chair when it was time for them to part, Sakura back home and Tsunade back to her office. Tsunade hugged Sakura and reassured her that everything would be fine before she left. Tsunade couldn't help but wonder if Sakura would be all right at home alone with this news without Naruto to share it with. Maybe she should have Hinata or Temari check on her later since they had newborns of their own and Sakura could talk to someone who would understand some of what she was going through.

* * *

Naruto was leading his team through the trees at a fast pace. The sooner they got this mission over with, the sooner he could be at home with Sakura. He really hated leaving her after he saw how tired she was lately. The third trimester was starting to be worse than the first and that wasn't helping him from worrying about his young wife.

"Naruto-taicho, you are awfully quiet. May I ask why?" questioned the young ninja named Tora. He was one of Konohamaru's friends and he was slowly warming up to his new captain.

"Oh, sorry. Guess I've got a lot on my mind. Nothing for you to worry about," he smiled back. He couldn't keep the worried look completely off his face, but he needed to try so as not to alarm his young team.

"Naruto-taicho, I'm sure Sakura-sensei is fine," added the young medic ninja named Ren. He was from the same class as Tora and one of the few boys to take an interest in medical ninjutsu. He seemed to have a real talent for it too.

"Huh?" Naruto replied at the accurate guess of the young medic.

"Sakura-sensei is one of the best medic ninja's I know. I know she's fine," he replied.

'Easy for you to say,' thought the nervous father-to-be.

"I know she's fine, but thank you for the sentiment," he replied out loud.

"So Taicho, who is this princess we are escorting?" Tora asked. "She seems to know you."

"I have escorted the princess from the Waterfall Country a couple of times before. She's pretty easy to watch as long as you don't mind frequent stops to shop along the way and I'm sure that we'll be stopping by at least one spa," he said with a chuckle as he remembered the last shopping trip he had to follow her on. He had ended up with arm's full of boxes and bags and Sakura went from her normal jealousy to laughter at the sight of his full arms.

"A spa? Shopping?" said the young man with a bit of a scared expression on his face.

"Hehe, don't worry, we'll have at least one skirmish along the way for you to use your ninja skills," he assured the teen. "I'll have Erika follow her into the spa while we men watch the outside. You'll only have to worry about balancing boxes and bags beyond that."

Erika was the quiet one and the only female on the team. She reminded him a lot of Hinata when she was younger, yet she was as big hearted as Choji. He could see the two young men making annoyed and disgusted faces out of the corner of his eye and he had to stifle a laugh. He could see that Erika was trying not to laugh as well.

"Tora, if you can't handle the shopping I'll go," she laughed at the expense of her teammate.

"I can handle anything. Just watch!" he retorted.

Naruto couldn't hold back his laughter any more at this point. It sounded way too much like something he would have said a few years ago.

"Let's go, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get her to her fiancé," he said as he increased his speed urging the teens to do the same. They were soon just blurs as they raced through the trees towards their destination.

* * *

Naruto and his team had successfully finished their mission, the princess was now married and off on her honeymoon with her new husband. The expected shopping trips and spa trips had been harder on the teen boys than on him for once and he couldn't help but laugh when Tora, the proudest of the three, had to do most of the parcel carrying. She had flirted as expected, but she was a lot better behaved now that it was her wedding they were off to. It had felt like a long two weeks for him and he couldn't wait to get his report done and home to Sakura as soon as possible.

Once he had finished his report and turned it into Tsunade's assistant he took off as fast as he could back to his apartment. If only there was a way to stay at home and take care of her and still go on missions. He had thought of using clones, but none of his missions had been close enough to home to where he could manage it. It wasn't long before their apartment was in sight. Sakura had moved into his old apartment after the wedding and it was proving too small for even just the two of them. He had hoped to do a little apartment shopping in between missions, but they hadn't had a long enough break. He turned the key in the door and opened it to find Sakura sleeping on the couch with a pillow tucked under her head and another under her belly. He could see that she'd gotten a little bigger since he last saw her.

'She looks so peaceful sleeping there,' he thought to himself. 'Just seeing her lie there makes me realize how much I've missed her these past two weeks.'

He took off his shoes and crept over to where she was and knelt down next to her sweet face and gave her a peck on the cheek. He patted her swollen belly and was about to stand up when he felt a strong hand on his arm.

"Tadaima," he said in greeting.

"I've missed you. When did you get back?" she said as she pulled him back down so that she could look him more in the face.

"Just now. Sorry to wake you, but I couldn't resist giving my angel a kiss," he said with a worried and loving smile on his face. He moved in closer so that he could give her the long, passionate kiss he had been longing to give her for the last two weeks. Once the kiss had ended he asked, "How have you been feeling?"

"Exhausted. I'm starting to think that sleeping the next two months might not be such a bad idea," she said as she used Naruto's arm to slowly pull herself into a sitting position. "How was your mission?"

"Nothing too eventful. Mostly shopping like the last time we guarded her. The wedding had more dignitaries than I've ever seen, but the kids did a good job. I think Ren is your biggest fan and if you weren't married to me, I'd worry about him trying to flirt with you too, dattebayo," he said with a wink.

"Do you think I'd fall for a young medic over the strongest man in Konoha?" she teased back.

"Who else could put up with your monstrous straight?" he teased as he sat next to her on the couch.

"Shannaro," she said weekly as she punched him in the shoulder. It wasn't very hard, but then again she didn't have the energy or the chakra to do much damage.

"Ouch!" he gave a weak cry. He could tell that she wasn't feeling good from the fact that his shoulder really didn't hurt. "So, what did Tsunade say at your last appointment?"

"She said that the baby is just fine and it's right on schedule. She did say that the reason why I'm so tired is that the baby is already working on its chakra system," she explained. "It seems that your mom had the same problem with you." She said this as she poked him in the ribs.

"Hey, don't blame it on me! This kid is half yours you know," he said rubbing the sore spot she had just made in his ribs. "But, I don't see how that would make you tired."

"OK, knowing you I'll try to make this simple, but whenever I try to mold chakra the baby steels it from me. The baby also steels any energy that I have normally too, so Tsunade-shiso said to take it easy," she explained.

"Well, I'm here now, so until Tsunade-baachan sends me off again I'll do as much as I can," he said as he gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "We can get that apartment hunting done too. I'm expecting at least a day off, but if she's worried about you maybe we'll luck out and get a few extra days off before I leave again."

"I've circled a few ads over there on the kitchen table. Maybe you could check them out for me and narrow it down before we make the final decision together. I need to run to the grocery too. I haven't really been cooking since you left so we don't have any real groceries, other than the cup of ramen. I still can't eat that stuff," she said wrinkling up her nose at the thought of instant ramen.

"I'll get the groceries too. You just take it easy. I can do more than one errand at a time. Besides, that's what shadow clones do best, dattebayo!" he said with a huge grin.


	2. Waiting and Rebuilding

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Brown Eggs and Green Ham, rao hyuga 18, uzamakisunspydr, I'm 4 Nick, Sasuke's Silver Fang, and Flamegirl5500. Thanks to everyone else who tagged this story as well. I hope you enjoy so please read and review.

_Glossary:_

aishiteru-romantic I love you

Fuuton: Kaze Rendan: wind barrage

haha: mom, but a little too personal for Naruto to use it for mother-in-law (which is gibo)

Kita: North

Toshihiro: wise, clever

Tora: tiger

Ren: love or lotus

_Ones you probably know but I'll translate anyway_

Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: multi shadow clone technique

dobe: dead last or last place

teme: bastard

baka: idiot

baachan or obaachan: grandma

Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu.: grand fireball technique

kinjutsu: forbidden technique

**All Naruto characters belong to ****Masashi Kishimoto****. The Story is all mine.**

**Chapter 2: Waiting and Rebuilding**

The next two months were filled with preparations for the baby's arrival. Naruto did what he could in between missions. He had several escort missions, ranging from merchants to dignitaries, and all had been strangely uneventful. They had found an apartment on the other side of the village which happened to be in the nicer side of town, not too far from Kurenai's apartment. It was a two bedroom apartment with plenty of space for their growing family. Naruto had them moved in an hour with his multi-shadow clone jutsu much to Sakura's relief. She thought it was kind of cute how the shadow clones rushed around getting everything set up in their new apartment almost to the point of tripping over each other. He also slept well into the next day because of all the energy the clones had used in such a short amount of time.

Sakura couldn't help but be proud of how he was handling becoming a father. She could tell he needed something to do to keep his mind off of his fears of being a father, but Sakura only saw his fear when she caught him trying to read one of the parenting books and he would have a look on his face that was a cross between confusion and fear.

Naruto had tried to keep his upcoming birthday a secret, hoping that no one would remember that the day of the festival was also his birthday. He didn't like going out on that day, even after all these years and all the respect that the villagers now had for him. Somehow all his friends managed not to have a mission on his birthday so they were all there to take them out for Bar-B-Q, or rather Choji picked his favorite place and everyone else didn't feel like arguing. Their party had grown a little since the last time they were all together at Naruto and Sakura's wedding. The original rookie nine were there, but now there was baby Kita and Shikamaru and Temari brought their little boy, Toshihiro. Ino had dragged her husband, Mitsuhiro, along who was still getting use to all the ninja lingo. All of team guy was there as was Sai.

The way their group had really grown meant they had to reserve the biggest room in the restaurant. Choji had the foresight to order ahead so that the chef was able to prepare for the large and hungry crowd of ninjas. All the girls sat at one end of the table so that they could pass around the two little babies.

Nara Toshihiro had just turned six months old and was an active, pudgy little boy. His brown hair stood straight up in a miniature mohawk. His black eyes showed a wide eyed curiosity at the attention he was getting from all the females. Tenten had him in her lap as Temari worked on getting his dinner ready.

"Don't tell me that stuff is edible," cringed the weapons mistress as Temari put a bib around his pudgy neck.

"It's just stew and rice cereal. It's his favorite isn't it little Toshi." Temari proceeded to scoop a spoonful into an awaiting little mouth. The girls giggled as Temari opened her mouth too prompting Toshihiro to do the same.

The guys just ignored the girls as they giggled at the faces Toshihiro was making during his meal. He attempted to grab the spoon and feed himself much to the annoyance of his mother.

"Not yet you don't. I don't want Tenten to be the one wearing your dinner."

"So, Shikamaru, getting any sleep yet?" asked Choji in between mouthfuls.

"Not yet. I keep asking Tsunade-sama to send me on at least one mission, but she wants me here until after the Chuunin exams next month. This whole waking up in the middle of the night is just too troublesome." Shikamaru had been assigned a genin team not long after Temari had moved to Konoha. He still went with her when she had official Sand/Leaf business, but they had only been back to Suna once since Toshihiro was born, and that was more to introduce the Kazekage to his nephew than a political trip.

Temari shot him a sharp look which he tried to ignore until he got a smack in the back of the head with a baby toy.

"Hey, just kidding."

"He actually gets up half the time to take care of little Toshi, believe it or not," she retorted.

Choji got a good laugh out of his best friends annoyed expression as Shikamaru mumbled, "Troublesome woman."

Lee had been trying to explain the springtime of youth to Sai through this whole scene although Sai was not really paying attention.

"So, Naruto, how's the new team getting along?" Shikamaru said changing the subject away from himself.

"Pretty good actually. Tora whined the whole time about having to go shopping with the Waterfall Princess, but they read each other really well in battle. Erika is downright dangerous with her genjutsu, but she needs to conserve her chakra better. Hey, isn't she related to Kurenai-sensei?"

"I think she's a cousin or something like that. I know she watches her kid every once in a while."

"Speaking of babysitting, where's your escort Sasuke?" Naruto teased the Uchiha.

"Hn. He wasn't a very good one. Must be new to ANBU because he was really easy to get past," he said coolly. He could see Sai out of the corner of his eye as he said this. They still didn't get along and he knew the ANBU commander would be talking to his agent later about the incident.

"How long before Baachan lets you out of 24/7 supervision, teme?"

"I have a meeting with her tomorrow. It's been a year, so I'd expect they are tired of trying to follow me by now."

"Good, I need some fresh blood to practice on," Naruto said with a taunting look.

Sasuke just shot him a death glare as Naruto knew that he'd hit his mark.

"Like you could touch me. You only get lucky once, dobe."

"Boys, cut it out!" Sakura shot them both a look as she held Kita in what was left of her lap.

"Don't they ever grow up?" Ino asked as she rolled her eyes.

"Not those two. I swear I'll be raising three instead of one once this baby is born."

"Sakura-chan," Naruto whined.

"Are you sure he's 22 today and not 12?" Kiba added.

"Like you act any better, dog boy," Naruto shot back.

"Who wants seconds?" Choji said in attempt to change the subject.

"I'll take some," Ino said to everyone's surprise. Everyone had to laugh at the once figure conscious kunoichi. The twins were causing cravings that she herself had never expected. She was still slender with only a baby bump, but her figure didn't show off how big her appetite was.

"Anything for you Sakura?" Choji asked.

"What are you implying, Choji?" she said as Naruto shook his head at Choji's ignorant question.

"Calm down Sakura-chan, he was just trying to be polite." He was sure she would have tried to hit him if she hadn't been holding Kita.

"What?" said a confused Choji.

The waitress brought seconds and everyone toasted Naruto on living to the old age of 22, even though he was still younger than half of them. It was a good time for all and by the end of the evening Naruto didn't mind that they had remembered his birthday. He really treasured the time he got to spend with his friends and it had been a rare blessing that their group had gotten bigger over the years and not smaller like so many ninjas experienced. Tsunade had once said that it was due to their talent and close bonds that had helped them to make it through so many trials as they had done.

Naruto and Sakura walked home with Sakura's arm in his. She was tired but happy. They had stayed out later than planned and it was already very dark and the village was quiet. The festival downtown had already ended and they had missed the fireworks, but that was one festival Naruto didn't enjoy so they didn't feel like they had missed anything. The new moon made the stars stand out that night and they saw a shooting star on the way home. Both Naruto and Sakura saw it and paused long enough to make a wish. Sakura's eyes were still closed when Naruto leaned down and gave her a long, passionate kiss on the mouth. They were in no hurry to be home and walked at a relaxed pace just enjoying each other's company.

"Aishiteru, Naruto. Happy Birthday," said Sakura as they walked arm in arm.

"Aishiteru, Sakura," he replied with a smile big enough that she could even see it in the dark.

* * *

Later that same week the girls threw a baby shower for Sakura at the Nara residence. Shikamaru and Temari had moved in with his parents because they had plenty of rooms and Shikamaru had decided that house hunting was just too 'troublesome'. Naruto and the boys ended up at a local bar away from the oo-ing and ah-ing over all the baby items. It ended up feeling like the bachelor party Naruto never got because he and Sakura had been married so quickly.

The group of young shinobi had gathered around some tables at the far end of the bar. Their group consisted of Neji, Sai, Kiba, Shikamaru, Shino, Choji, Lee, and even Sasuke decided to come. Sasuke didn't hang out with the guys much, so he just took his drink and sat in a corner not too far from the rest of the group. It was now his habit to wear black pants with a short black kimono style jacket and he easily hid in the shadows. It still felt weird for him to be social after all he'd gone through. Tsunade had released him from his ANBU escort, but it would be another year before he would be allowed to leave the village.

Lee was the only one without a drink only because no one ever let him touch the stuff once they found out that his secret fighting weapon was alcohol. Choji had found the snacks that they kept at the bar and was working on finishing his first basket full of chips.

"So, Naruto, what do you think about all this baby stuff?" asked Shikamaru. He couldn't wait to hear the naïve answer of his friend.

"Hehe, I know enough to know I'm screwed. I've read through all the parenting books Sakura keeps bringing home from the library, but the more I read, the more I know I don't have a clue," Naruto said with complete honesty.

"I didn't know you knew how to read?" Sai teased.

"At least the only color in my face doesn't come from the pages of a book," Naruto fired back.

"Touché," said Kiba. "I still don't know what I'm doing; at least Hinata has a natural knack for being a mom. Akamaru does a better job at being a dad than I do. Speaking of which, we've got another litter of puppies on the way if anyone is interested in learning how to train nin-dogs." Everyone laughed at how Kiba still got more excited about puppies than he did about his own daughter, even though everyone knew he was turning her into a daddy's girl.

"Well, if Sakura can keep you from raising the kid on ramen, then you should be OK," teased Shikamaru with a smirk.

"Don't worry. Sakura may not be as good a cook as Hinata, but she's got me eating more than just ramen, dattebayo. I'm actually worried about this whole birth thing. I read that women get supper strong during labor and Sakura can be scary strong as it is. She's been so worn out the past few months it actually has been nice not to get any injuries," he admitted.

"Che, Temari was pissed at me during the whole thing. I'm glad they finally let me out of there. The whole thing is just too troublesome," said the shadow user.

Their laughter filled the bar at this last statement. Shikamaru just took a sip of his drink as if to drive home the point as to how serious he was about the experience.

"And I've never heard Hinata use that kind of language until the contractions started to get worse," chimed in Kiba.

"Hinata?" several of the guys were heard saying under their breath. Choji started laughing and then everyone except Naruto joined in. Naruto just started looking ill and hung his head as he imagined Sakura going berserk in the delivery room.

"Hey, guys, I think he's going to lose it," said Sai rather seriously. Sai gave a confused look at everyone when they all started laughing again at Naruto's temporary inner struggle.

"I'll be OK. It's just that you guys have never really seen how scary Sakura can be. I don't think I could take her being in labor if it's worse," he said as he tried to straighten up. They just kept laughing at his expense.

The waitress brought another round of drinks and Neji had to slap Lee's hand when he reached out for one.

"Don't make me tie you up," said Neji under his breath.

"But Neji-kun, just a sip?" Lee said hopefully.

"No."

"Naruto, you forget that I saw what she did to you after the last time Konohamaru did the 'Sexy no Jutsu' in front of her," remembered Sai as he ignored Lee and Neji. "I never told you, but once when we were watching you work on your Resen-shuriken, I tried to get her to admit her feelings for you and she just about demolished a tree with her bare hands and then threatened to do the same to me. Trust me; I've seen a pretty scary side of her."

"OK, then imagine her twice as mean and hormonal," suggested Naruto.

"Oh, I get it," said Sai after a moment of reflection.

They all laughed at him, this time Naruto even joined them.

After a round of laughter, the guys decided to talk about something a little less scary than hormonal woman and talked about missions, something all of them could relate to since only three of them were married.

"Is it just me, or have the missions been really easy lately?" noted Choji in between mouthfuls.

"My Genin are still only doing D ranked missions, so I haven't noticed personally, but I have been hearing the same from all over the village," added Shikamaru.

"How about you Sai, any excitement in ANBU you can share?" asked Naruto.

"No, nothing exciting," was all he replied.

"I wonder if something is up, something big," thought Shino out loud.

Lee went into one of his "springtime of youth" speeches about taking the opportunity to train more and everyone just rolled their eyes.

The only one who didn't join in their conversation was Sasuke, mostly because he wasn't allowed a mission yet as punishment for leaving the village 9 years ago. He sat silently in his corner surveying his friends. His stare wasn't as cold as in years past, more of a lonely look now settled in his eyes. He was deep in thought as the rest of the gang compared experiences in the world beyond the walls of the village. He failed to notice a set of blue eyes watching him as he sat there in silence. Naruto knew his friend well and had a feeling what was going on in his mind. Naruto knew well enough to talk to Sasuke after they left, knowing that Sasuke wouldn't do much more than act annoyed in front of their other friends.

After several hours of male bonding, the guys parted ways going back to their respective homes for the evening. Shikamaru and Kiba walked towards the Nara residence to meet the ladies after their party. Naruto said he'd be there shortly and turned to follow Sasuke. He knew he couldn't let Sakura take care of all those baby gifts by herself, so he made a couple of clones to start carrying home gifts just in case this took longer than expected. It didn't take long to find Sasuke who had gone to the old Uchiha side of town.

"Want to talk about it," Naruto said as he walked up beside Sasuke who was just looking at the old, dilapidated and damaged buildings that hadn't been repaired at all since his family was killed and Pain's attack had left not a building standing. Sasuke just stood in silence as his friend stood beside him, Naruto patiently waited for Sasuke to break the silence when he was ready. They stood there in silence for several minutes.

"I have memories buried among all this. Times with my family, my brother," Sasuke started quietly, "then hatred and revenge. Tsunade-sama gave me an option about what I want to do with this land, since it still belongs to me. I almost want to just torch it all and start over."

"Then why don't you," Naruto said.

Sasuke made a series of quick hand signs. Naruto seemed to know what he was thinking and began a series of hand signs of his own.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu."

"Collaboration Jutsu, Fuuton: Kaze Rendan."

Sasuke's grand fireball was joined by Naruto's wind attack and it didn't take long before what was left of the Uchiha compound went up in flames. The two friends stood there and watched the flames lick the sky as Sasuke's past went up in smoke, marking a new beginning that was long overdue. Naruto waited with him until the flames turned to smoldering ashes. He patted Sasuke on the shoulder and turned to go pick up Sakura. He knew she would understand why he was running late, but he still needed to hurry back before her mood swings got the better of her. No one was there to witness a single, hot tear as it fell from Sasuke's eye.

* * *

The next day Naruto was called into Tsunade's office. He had a feeling it had to do with the Uchiha compound burning down, but decided to play dumb just in case. He found Sasuke waiting for him outside her office and his presence confirmed the suspicion as to why he had been summoned.

"Naruto, Sasuke, enter!" came the angry voice of the Hokage from her office. The two young men entered obediently, stopping before her desk in ordinary military fashion.

"I hear you two had some fun last night," started the Hokage as she continued to look down at some papers on her desk. She raised her head up to look at them and they knew that if looks could kill… "My ANBU tells me that the Uchiha compound's fire was arson. Now I wonder who would have the guts to do something like that when you, Sasuke, live just down the road and would have noticed if something was going on. And you, Naruto, I hear that you just happened to have clones helping Sakura last night when you were nowhere to be found at the same hour as when the fire started!"

"Tsunade-sama, I can explain," started Naruto. You could tell he was nervous because he didn't call her baachan.

"Silence, I'm not finished with you yet!" snapped the angry Sannin. Naruto froze in mid sentence and lowered his head a little. "Now I don't know what got into the two of you, but I want to know why you didn't let me in on your little fire show before it happened. You could have caught the entire village on fire because of your recklessness! I don't need two of my Jounin going off on their own doing stupid stuff that could get out of hand!"

Tsunade was now standing up behind her desk with one hand firmly on it glaring at the two before her. Naruto and Sasuke were starting to feel like Genin again because of the tongue lashing they were receiving. They just stood there in silence waiting for it to end wondering what she was going to do to them as punishment.

"Well?!" shouted Tsunade as she waited for one of them to answer her. Naruto looked like he was going to say something, but Sasuke held up his hand.

"Lady Tsunade, the fault is mine. I was searching for a solution as to what I should do with the property and on a whim I decided to burn it down and start over. Naruto had nothing to do with it," said the last of the Uchiha.

"Oh? And Naruto had nothing to do with the whirl wind that just happened to kick up and make the flames that much stronger?" Tsunade asked rhetorically. She was much calmer by now, but she still looked like she could jump over the desk and hit both of them at any time.

"Tsunade-sama, I was helping out a friend. You know how I am…" started Naruto before she shot him a death glare that stopped him in mid sentence.

Tsunade slowly sat down in her chair again and took a deep breath. She thought for a couple of minutes over what to do with these two idiots before her.

"Sasuke, as punishment I'm going to put you in charge of cleaning up that mess and getting something built in its place. I'll have the head architect draw up some plans so that we can begin reconstruction as soon as possible. I also want you in teach kunai target practice for the next year at the academy. Naruto, I'm going to have you help him with the clean up. After that, I'm putting you in charge of all the mission reports until further notice, got it!?" said a decisive Hokage. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Now I'm not upset because of what you burned. Everyone knows what an eye sore that part of town was, but the next time you two idiots try something like that again, I want to know beforehand so that we don't end up with a bigger mess than the one you two are going to clean up, got it!"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," they said in unison.

She dismissed them with a wave of her hand that also signified that she didn't want to hear another word from them. Naruto and Sasuke left Tsunade's office and waited until the door was shut behind them before they looked at each other. The both let out a sigh of relief thinking that she could have easily killed them. Naruto let out nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head with his left hand.

"Well teme, looks like you won't be doing any missions for the next week," started Sasuke.

"Yea, now you're stuck with me hanging around too, dattebayo," Naruto answered. "The worst part is all that paperwork. Yuck!"

Sasuke laughed under his breath at his friend's reaction and just shook his head. Everyone knew that Tsunade hated paperwork and she had just found the perfect excuse to dump a bunch of it all on Naruto.

"Just wait until you have to teach kunai practice. Hope they don't turn you into a target, hehe," he said as Sasuke just rolled his eyes. He really hated the idea of teaching kids. "Well, shall we get started boss?" Naruto said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Might as well, baka," replied Sasuke. They walked off together toward what was the start of a very long and dirty week for the both of them.

* * *

Sakura walked down the busy street with a basket in hand. Naruto had told her what had happened last night and they had planned on her meeting them for lunch at Sasuke's property. She had just shaken her head when she heard how the fire started. She had a feeling they would get a tongue lashing and she was right. They had also guessed right that Tsunade wanted them to clean up their mess, so they had planned ahead accordingly. Of course the two men had planned on cleaning it up and rebuilding, but they figured it would at least be between missions and baby preparations. It didn't take long for Sakura to walk from their apartment to Sasuke's, but she did have to take a couple of breaks to sit and rest a bit.

Sakura found them shirtless and covered with ash and sweat when she arrived. Naruto had called a small army of shadow clones to help speed up their efforts, but the original was helping Sasuke haul some larger pieces of wood over to a trash pile that they had started. She stopped at the edge of the compound and watched them work for a while. She couldn't help but notice how handsome her husband looked as he worked and thought it was ironic how it would have been Sasuke a twelve year old version of her would have drooled over. Now it was the tall blonde who grabbed her full attention. Sasuke was the first to notice her arrival and he poked Naruto to get his attention.

"Hey dobe, you have an audience," Sasuke said with a hint of teasing in his voice.

"Huh? Oh hey babe," Naruto called to Sakura once he noticed who Sasuke was referring to. He dispensed his shadow clones and they disappeared in puffs of smoke. He walked over to where he had set his stuff down and wiped off his face and hands on a rag before walking over to Sakura.

"If I had known how good you looked covered in ash and sweat I would have had you do this sooner," she teased before giving him a kiss on the lips. "But, you will defiantly need a shower before I let you touch me."

"Ah come on, how about a hug now?" Naruto said as he tried to get his arms around her. She gave him a quick jab to the stomach which kept him from getting ash and sweat all over her. He gave her a half hearted dirty look and rubbed the sore spot on his stomach. It still hurt even if it wasn't one of her full strength punches.

Sasuke just chuckled at his two friends as he wiped his hands off before joining them. Sakura proceeded to set up a blanket on a grassy patch by an old shade tree so that they could have their bento lunch before the boys got back to work. Once Naruto and Sasuke sat down she handed them their bento boxes and chop sticks and they proceeded to eat and enjoy each other's company in the shade.

"Sweet! I see haha brought over some of her pickles this morning." Naruto said when he opened his bento.

"Yes and you know she'll kill you if you call her that in person. Who do you think drilled me on manners when I was little," Sakura replied with hands on her hips.

"Hai, hai. Sorry. I forget how violet all the Haruno women are."

Sasuke just grunted, glad he wasn't in his friend's shoes.

"So, how is the cleanup coming?" she asked.

"It's not as bad as it could be. The fire was pretty thorough in doing its part, so it is mostly a matter of getting the large beams out of the way before we sweep up all of the ash," her husband replied.

"It will still take us several long days to get it all cleaned up, even with Naruto's shadow clones," added Sasuke.

"So Sasuke, any idea what you want to do here?" Sakura asked before taking her last bite of shumi.

"They are letting me move out of the half-way house by next summer, so I'll need to get something built by then."

"And…"

"Tsunade has the head architect working on something. I haven't seen the final plans yet." Sasuke seemed distracted and turned to look at the distant horizon away from his friends' gaze.

"Oh," Sakura said. She read his body language enough to know that it wasn't a topic open for discussion, yet. Naruto just looked at her with a single eyebrow raised, but he decided not to ask any questions. Well at least not just yet. "Well, if you two don't mind, I'm just going to stay here and watch for a little bit. I already got the nursery set up with mom's help this morning, so there isn't really anything for me to do at home," Sakura said as she looked in Naruto's direction.

"Fine with me. Just don't distract the stamina freak here and we should be fine," Sasuke cut in with a smirk as the tension her simple question had caused a moment ago was now gone from his carved features.

"Sasuke!" Naruto gave a low growl at his friends joke. "It's fine with me if I have an audience and I won't be distracted either, dattebayo," replied Naruto as he gave a wink and a smile to Sakura.

Sakura just laughed at their immaturity. It was good to see them acting a little bit like they use to back when they were still team 7. It was a sign of healing for all of them.

It didn't take long for the guys to finish their bento then it was back to work. Sakura had thrown in a couple of homemade soldier pills for Naruto just in case he needed them later. He was still the only one who would eat them, even though she had tried to improve the flavor over the years. She knew he would need them if he decided to use shadow clones in large numbers. She put their lunches back into the basket and decided to lean against the tree and watch her husband and former teammate work until she fell asleep.

Naruto couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked as she slept. 'Man, I can't believe how lucky I am to have her in my life,' he thought to himself with a sigh. 'Yosh! Back to work. The faster we get this done, the sooner I can get back to missions, dattebayo.'

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," he said with his hands in the sign of kinjutsu calling forth his small army. "OK, time to get this mess cleaned up!" The area was filled with activity as they worked to get the area ready for construction. Sasuke and the original Naruto took charge of the cleanup effort and they were finished with the majority of the work in only a matter of days.

The head architect brought over plans for Sasuke to inspect and approve later on that week. Aside from the main house, there would be a new shopping district. Sasuke decided to donate the rest of his land back to Konoha for the shopping district instead of worrying about renting it out to venders. Sasuke and Tsunade as well as the council had decided a while ago that they didn't want that part of town to be cut off from the rest of the village any more. The rebuilding of this part of town was part of Sasuke's agreement to amend for past actions. His new house was to be built in the traditional style. He wanted to have enough room for a training yard as well. Only Naruto and Sakura could tell that he was enjoying this project. He was as serious as ever, but he really put his all into getting it right the first time. Maybe one day it would not just be him here in this house…

* * *

Naruto and Sakura were in bed after what had been a very long day of cleanup for him. He had returned home late and had practically passed out at dinner. He was now sound asleep in bed, but Sakura couldn't get comfortable and lay there staring at the wall. She had too much on her mind and it refused to turn off. Sakura finally gave in and swung her feet down to the floor and pushed her body into a sitting position. She got up being careful not to awaken Naruto and she went to the living room. She could hear him mumbling something in his sleep about nindo and turned to see him roll over to where she once was. 'He looks so peaceful. Wish I could sleep like that. Actually, I wish I could sleep,' thought the very pregnant kunoichi.

She silently opened the sliding glass door that lead to a balcony off of their living room and sat on the couch as she looked out at the night sky. There was no moon that night and the stars twinkled in the heavens as she gazed out of the window. She recalled a night like this that seemed so long ago. Naruto was training and she had felt so alone and useless back then as she looked out at the stars. Now she wasn't alone, but only alone in her thoughts.

She could feel the baby moving about. It was that time of night when the baby did most of its moving and she had learned that if she hadn't gotten to sleep before this time in the night, it was near impossible with all the activity going on inside her swollen abdomen. She could feel a little stretch of the baby's leg and her tummy almost danced with the movement within. She rubbed her belly hoping that the baby would calm down soon so she could try and go back to bed.

"Well, little one. It won't be long before we meet," she whispered to her unborn child. The baby seemed to kick in response.

"Sakura, are you alright," Naruto asked as he rubbed his eyes and joined her on the couch. She hadn't even felt his presence behind her. She hated the fact that he could sneak up on her like this. He sat next to her on the couch and ran his hand up and down her back.

"I didn't mean to wake you. My mind just wouldn't shut off and then the baby started kicking so I came out here to watch the stars," she answered as he gave her a hug on the shoulders and a kiss to her forehead.

"Now, you need to let mommy sleep. Who else will keep me in line if you make her sleep all day," he said as he rubbed her swollen abdomen. Sakura couldn't help but look at him with a face of love as he talked almost baby talk to their child. She gave him a peck on the cheek that caught him off guard.

"What was that for?" he inquired.

"It's just that you are so sweet. There is no one else I would rather share this moment with then you," she replied.

"Come here," he said as he pulled her back into his arms as he leaned back onto the couch. They just sat there in each other's arms as they both looked out into the night sky.

"I haven't seen a night this clear in a long time," Naruto said with a yawn.

"Hmm," Sakura murmured as she closed her eyes and laid her head against his shoulder.

Naruto yawned again as they sat there for a while. It wasn't long before he realized that Sakura had fallen asleep. He knew that they would be sore if they fell asleep on the couch; he adjusted her so he could pick her up and carry her back to bed. Even pregnant, she felt light in his arms as he carried her into their room. He carefully laid her on her side of the bed. He then crawled into bed next to her and it wasn't long before he joined her in his dreams.


	3. Bad Timing

There are some references to my first story, "Sweet Emotion".

_Glossary:_

Kutchiyose no jutsu: summoning technique

**All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto****. The Story is all mine.**

**Chapter 3: Bad Timing**

It was a cool, crisp fall day in the Village of Konoha. Very few leaves were left on the trees and the sound of leaves crunching could be heard as people walked the streets. Sakura and Naruto were walking around the village, her due date just days away. She was still fighting exhaustion, but she was getting tired of sitting in their apartment and had the need to walk. Her red dress was starting to become stretched to its limits as her form had reached its maximum size too. Naruto had been given permission to take a couple of weeks off from missions in order to be around for the birth of their first baby, much to the delight of the rest of his team. He felt safer taking a walk with her this close to her due date than to let her take it alone. They walked hand in hand down the not so busy back streets not far from their apartment. Her pace was slow, but he didn't seem to mind as long as he was with her. He was wearing a black turtle neck instead of his usual orange and black jacket, but he still had on his long sage coat that was red with the black flames on the hem. Even though he was taking time off, he still couldn't relax enough not to wear under armor or carry his ninja tools with him. His missions of late had been really easy and that was making him cautious. He knew something was up, but the spy network hadn't given them any clues.

Sakura was starting to get winded and they walked toward a bench on the side of the road by the hot springs, the bench where they had shared their first kiss. Naruto helped her take a seat before sitting next to her. He put an arm around her shoulders and placed his other hand on her swollen belly.

"Are you feeling OK?" he asked with a worried expression.

"Just a little tired. I keep getting this sharp pain in my lower back that doesn't want to go away. I wish I could mold some chakra so that I could relieve the pain," she answered. Her face showing her weariness but she closed her eyes as he started to massage the place on her back where she had just indicated where the pain was coming from.

"Better?" he asked after a few moments.

"Much better, thank you," she said making soft moaning sounds. He always knew just how to make the pain in her back go away.

Above them an eagle was circling and they heard its cry. They both looked up and they knew that something was wrong. The eagle then continued on its way to the roost more than likely with a message for the Hokage.

"Sakura, I have to go. I'm sorry but it can't be helped. Why don't you go to Ino's and I'll meet up with you later," he said still looking up in the direction the eagle had gone.

"I understand," she replied. Naruto got up before helping her to her feet. He gave her a long tender kiss on the lips before leaping off toward the Hokage tower. She began her slow walk to Ino's. They had decided a while ago if anything should happen that Ino's was a good place for her to stay just in case she needed help. The Ishis and Yamanakas lived above the flower shop, although Ino and Mitsuhiro had take up residence on the upper levels and Inoichi and her mom had take the lower levels of the building. It helped having Mitsuhiro around all the time. He had become use to helping out all of Ino's friends as their due dates approached since he was the only civilian in their group.

Sakura arrived a relatively short time later to find Ino behind the counter of the shop and Mitsuhiro in the back room working on arrangements. Ino's belly was now quiet obvious beneath her apron. She waved as Sakura entered the store and would have given her a hug if their bellies hadn't been in the way.

"What's wrong, Sakura? You look rather depressed this morning," asked her concerned friend.

"We saw a messenger eagle while on a walk and Naruto went to see what was going on," Sakura replied, not hiding the worry that made its way into her voice.

"I'm sure everything is fine. Stop being such a worry wart. Come in and have a seat. Do you need anything?" Ino asked as she already went to the back to get Sakura some water.

"Ino, I wish I could share the sentiment. Naruto has this nagging feeling that it has been too quiet lately and it has him worried."

"Well, he is worried about you too. Come to think of it I haven't seen him smiling much lately. Must be new daddy jitters." Ino had returned with a glass of water and handed it to Sakura. After her walk Sakura had to admit that the water tasted really good. She took several more sips before a pain in her back made her refocus her attention.

"Oh, that one really hurt!" she said with a hand to her back.

"What now?" Ino inquired.

"I've had this pain in my back all morning. Naruto had worked most of it out, but that one really hurt," she replied with a wince.

"Sakura, you're a med nin. You should know what that means," said the blonde with a knowing air.

"You don't think the baby is coming do you?" Sakura said after a moment to think about what her friend already seemed to know.

"Well, you are close to you due date and it is lower back pain am I right?" Ino said obviously leading the conversation where Sakura wasn't ready to go.

"Well… yeah."

"Silly, I think we should get you to the hospital before you give birth among the flowers," Ino said with a smile. "Mitsuhiro, I'm going to take Sakura to the hospital. Can you let Naruto know where we are please?"

"OK, I'll just finish up these deliveries and I'll meet you there," his answer came from the back room.

"Oh, there it is again," winced Sakura in pain.

"See, I told you so. Come on lets go Forehead," she said as she helped her friend to her feet.

Sakura just froze in mind motion and her jaw just dropped as a sudden sensation hit her. It felt like a damn just broke inside her body. She had never felt anything like this before and it didn't take long for her medical brain to figure out what it was. As if to confirm her suspicions, the next contraction was stronger and more painful.

"Ino… I think my water just broke!" Sakura said obviously having a harder time talking since that last pain.

"Now, come on. I don't think I can carry you. Twins are enough for me right now without having to carry you too."

Ino put an arm around Sakura and had Sakura put an arm around her neck. If it wasn't such a serious situation it would look almost humorous seeing two pregnant friends waddling off to the hospital.

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto had reached the Hokage's office only to find Tsunade and Shikamaru looking over a message they had just received from the patrol near the north east border of the fire country.

"What's going on Baachan?" inquired the blonde as he made his way to her desk.

"It seems that the Iwa ninjas are planning on attacking Konoha within the hour. They overpowered the patrol near the border and are coming at an incredible rate. Looks like this is the answer we were waiting to hear concerning the offered treaty. Not one that I wanted however," answered the Hokage. She still looked like she was in her thirties, but the news was making her look older than normal.

"We don't have the needed forces in place due to missions. We've already sent Sai and the rest of the ANBU to the woods before the main gate. I think it would be wise to get the civilians out of here now before the attack begins," said Shikamaru.

"Well, you've got my team," replied Naruto, "and I'll call Gamakichi and that should be enough to support the ANBU until the civilians are out of the way and we start phase three."

"Don't forget about me," a deep voice came from behind him. They turned around to see Sasuke enter the room.

"Thank you for your help Sasuke. Why don't you take the East gate and I'll have Naruto take the West gate. Between your two summonses, that should be enough to get us started. I'll stay near the center where I can see the attack from all directions. Keep your radios on so that we can be in constant contact. I'll have my Genin team help with evacuations for now. I'll keep the majority of the Chuunin at the main gate until I get a better idea what the Iwa ninja are planning on doing," said the Hokage's chief strategist.

"OK, sounds like a plan. Shikamaru, I'll leave it up to you to handle the details. I'm going to head to the roof and summon Katsuyu so that we can minimize the casualties. That way we'll also be able to communicate in case you get out of radio contact," said the Hokage. "Dismissed!"

"OS!" Two puffs of smoke and one of fire were all that was left of the Jounin, leaving the Hokage alone for a moment. She made her way to the top of the Hokage tower were she summoned her faithful slug.

"Yes my lady?"

"I want you to spread out between all the ninja in the village. Give them healing if they need it and relay information as needed. Make sure to even get to the ANBU to the North of the village," ordered the Sannin.

"Yes my lady," she said as she turned into a thousand smaller copies of herself and scattered to all corners of Konoha.

* * *

Naruto had called his team and was now at the West gate. He was worried about Sakura, but those thoughts had to be pushed to the back of his mind until this was over. He had Ren stay back to treat the injured and Tora and Erika took positions on either side of him on the nearby roofs. He bit his thumb before going through a series of hand signs. He set his right hand on the ground where runes spread out from his fingers.

"Kutchiyose no jutsu!"

Gamakichi and Gamatetsu appeared in a puff of smoke. The toad brothers had now grown in stature to rival that of their father. Naruto Sat on Gamakichi's head. Since they were battling the Iwa ninjas, there was bound to be some earth style users and he was prepared to use Gamakichi's attack style combined with his wind to counter them. Gamakichi had picked up the art of sword fighting and had twin swords strapped to his back.

"Naruto!? What brings us out today?" inquired the oldest of the brothers, Gamakichi.

"We are expecting the attack of the Iwa ninja within the hour. The five of us have the West gate until everyone is evacuated and we can start the next phase of our counter attack," explained the Toad Sage.

"Five?" Gamatestu asked the man on Gamakichi's head.

Naruto motioned to the two young Chuunin on either side of them. Tora was starting to already master his own style of taijutsu and had recently perfected his own version of phoenix fire jutsu. The young man was turning into a promising fighter and Naruto had a feeling he would be a Jounin before they all knew it. Erika was a skilled genjutsu user and she had even caught Naruto a couple of times in practice. He was much better at battling genjutsu since running into Itachi, but it was still his weakest area.

"Gamatetsu, I want you to pair up with Tora if need be. He can use fire jutsu and combined with your toad oil, you two could cause some real damage," Naruto explained. "Erika, I want you to confuse the enemy as much as possible until Tora or I can take care of them. Don't try to take them all out at once. I want to send a couple to Ibiki at least." He knew how dangerous her illusions were and didn't want to risk her running out of chakra too soon. "Ren, you stay back unless absolutely necessary. I don't need you getting hurt and not be able to back up the other medical ninja."

"OS!" they replied.

They had really turned into a great team and he couldn't be any more proud of them. He always thought his class was the strongest to graduate from the Academy, but Konohamaru's class was proving to be strong in its own right. Now all they had to do was wait for the attack to begin. He could hear Sai giving orders to his ANBU units in his right ear, so he knew that the approaching threat was within range.

* * *

Sasuke had summoned a very large snake and was sitting near the Eastern gate along with several Chuunin squads. Both he and his summons looked bored as Sasuke sat on the head of the pitch black serpent, his right hand resting on the sword he still wore on his back. Since Manda had been killed Sasuke had come to summon his youngest son as his favorite fighting partner. The black serpent wasn't as bad tempered as his father, but he had a strong bite and formidable strength. His personality also matched Sasuke's better and he could easily get bored with a fight if it wasn't challenging enough.

"Ssssss, I hate waiting," hissed the serpent.

"Soon enough. I can hear fighting near the main gate," the cool response came of his summoner.

* * *

"We're here," said Ino as they entered the hospital.

"Oh… can you see…anywhere for me to sit down?" asked an obviously tired and scared Sakura.

"I'm sorry Sakura. I don't see anywhere. Let me see if the receptionist can get you a wheel chair or something," replied her friend.

"I'm sorry ladies," a call came from behind the desk as the receptionist came out of the records room to greet them. "The Hokage has ordered us to take everyone to the evacuation sight. I would suggest that you please go to the Hokage monument as soon as possible."

"Evacuation?! What's going on?" Ino asked as Sakura was too busy with contractions now to pay attention to the whole conversation.

"It seems like we are expecting an attack soon and all civilians and non essential personnel are being evacuated," answered the young lady.

"Naruto…" Sakura moaned thinking of her husband. She was sure he'd be at the front of the action and she could really use him right now. The pain was getting stronger with each contraction since her water broke.

"Don't worry; we'll get you to somewhere safe where you can have the baby in relative peace. We have such a room in the tunnels set up for just such emergencies," the young receptionist assured her. Of course Sakura knew this, but this young receptionist was new and didn't recognize who she was yet.

"Thank you," said Ino. They got Sakura a wheel chair to sit in and they slowly made their way to the tunnels with the rest of the patients. They needed the room for battle injuries, so they had made it a point to open up as many beds as possible.

* * *

Shikamaru, Neji and Shino were on the roof of a building in the shopping district of Konoha. Neji had his byakugan activated and Shikamaru was in a crouched pose to his right. Shino looked his usual self with his hands in his pockets to Neji's left.

"See them yet?" the shadow user asked.

"They are sending the bulk of their force toward our main gate as expected, but I can see some stronger chakra signatures to our West and East. Looks like Naruto and Sasuke get to deal with the stronger, yet smaller assaults," he explained.

"OK, Naruto, Sasuke, did you catch that?" he said speaking into his two way radio.

"Yea, I got it," came the almost bored sounding reply of Sasuke.

"Bring it," came the voice of Naruto.

"Sai, how are you holding up?" Shikamaru asked the ANBU commander over the radio.

'Clang!' came the sound of fighting over the radio.

"Uh, we are holding our own. They don't seem very skilled, but there are a lot of them. I can't seem to prevent them from getting around us. I've got two groups that have broken off and seem to be heading toward the East and West, Ah!" said an obviously busy Sai.

"OK, I'll send some reinforcements to the main gate. Sai, fall back so that we can stand against them in a united front. Shino, Neji, take your teams and back up ANBU," commanded Shikamaru.

"Right!" said the two Jounin in a puff of smoke.

* * *


	4. Rock and Firefly

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: rao hyuga 18, uzumakisunspydr, I'm 4 Nick, and Mei fa-chan. Thanks to everyone else who tagged this story as well. I hope you enjoy so please read and review.

Thanks to deviant artists like innera, elisae, Rama and ladygt93 for inspiration.

Minor references to birth and breast feeding, nothing graphic.

_Glossary:_

aishiteru-romantic I love you

Fuuton: Kaze Kiri no jutsu: cutting wind technique

Hotaru: Firefly

Iwa: rock

_Ones you probably know but I'll translate anyway_

Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: multi shadow clone technique

dobe: dead last or last place

teme: bastard

baka: idiot

baachan or obaachan: grandma

Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu: grand fireball technique

kinjutsu: forbidden technique

**All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The Story is all mine.**

**Chapter 4: Rock and Firefly**

Sakura, Ino and a young medic nin that had joined them as they left the hospital made their way up the ramp to the tunnels behind the Hokage monument. Shikamaru's Genin team was leading all the civilians to the shelters, making sure that all were accounted for. Sakura wasn't making any effort to hide the pain she was in. Ino wished she could do more for her friend's pain, but getting that baby delivered was the only way for that to happen. They broke off from the rest of the villagers and headed toward a small room that was set up for just such an occasion. It wasn't unheard of for the stress of an attack to send a woman into labor, and it just so happened that Kushina had given birth to Naruto in this same little room when the Kuuybi had attacked twenty-two years ago.

Ino and the young medic nin helped her to get out of the wheel chair and onto the delivery bed. Her delivery was a long way off and they were preparing for several long hours of labor before the baby made its appearance. Ino had promised to stay with her, even though she wasn't ready to see labor this close to her own due date. Sakura had already delivered several babies, so she knew what to expect, but it still didn't make the pain any easier to bear.

"Oh, how I… wish Naruto… was here, argh…" she said as another contraction hit.

"Just hold my hand and breath. Sakura, I know you can do this. More than likely the Hokage would have kicked him out of the room by the time the baby started coming anyway. We'll just have to hope that the boys have everything under control out there," her friend reassured her.

"There you are," a male voice came from the doorway. It was Mitsuhiro having just arrived and had heard that a very pregnant woman was in labor down the hall.

"Hey, glad you could join our party," said his bride. "Excuse me Sakura."

Ino motioned for the medic to take over helping Sakura breath and went into the hall with her husband. They talked in low voices so as not to worry Sakura by anything he might have to say.

"The attack has begun," Mitsuhiro related. "I saw two large toads and a big black serpent as I climbed the ramp."

"Well, Naruto has the toads, so Sasuke must have called on the serpent. It sounds like they want to get this done with as quickly as possible," she said almost thinking out loud.

"What do you need me to do? She didn't look like she was handling the pain very well, how are you holding up?" he asked.

"I'll hang in there. The twins haven't given me too much trouble today. They must know today is a good day for a long nap," she said with a loving pat to her tummy.

"I'll stay right outside the door in case you need anything. Consider this my practice for our two," he said with a kiss to her forehead.

"Thank you," she said as she turned to go back to helping Sakura stay calm. She knew Sakura was worried about Naruto, but her job was to keep her mind off of the distractions outside of their little room.

* * *

Naruto jumped as he found a slug sitting on his left shoulder. He had expected the Hokage's help in this battle, but he couldn't get use to the little slug appearing out of nowhere.

"Katsuyu, you startled me!" he said looking at the little slug.

"I'm sorry, but Lady Tsunade requested my presence," she replied.

"That's OK, let's get this fight started shall we?" began the Toad Sage.

And as if on cue, a shower of kunai and shuriken came at him and his team. Naruto drew his own kunai and knocked the majority of them down. Tora could be seen using his short sword, typical of most ninja, to block the attack and Erika had used her genjutsu to momentarily disappear from view. Naruto began a series of quick hands signs.

"Futon: Kaze Kiri no jutsu"

A great wind kicked up and a miniature tornado swept through the enemy ranks picking up ninja and tossing them back and out of the way. He had created this attack while just playing with his jutsu one day and it had seemed to suite his style perfectly. He could hear screams coming from Tora's direction as the young ninja had sent fire balls through the Chuunin on his side of the assault. He could also see ninja on his other side dropping to the ground as they were caught in Erika's illusion. She, like Kurenai, liked to use plant based illusions to trap her targets and he could imagine them being lost in a web of flowers and vines.

"Tora, aim that flame this way would ya," cried his taicho.

Gamatetsu prepared his toad oil and he and Tora sent a jet of flame toward the opposing ninja. Naruto used his still moving tornado to pick some of it up, causing a great whoosh as the fire engulfed the cyclone. The firestorm changed direction and made it through the ranks again, making sure that the enemy got the message to stay out of their village.

The battle was raging now and it seemed that the Iwa ninja had sent as many troops as they could. They seemed to be mostly Chuunin with a few Jounin so far, but it was the general consensus that they were still holding something back. Neji could still see several strong chakra signatures holding back from the fight on either side of the village as if waiting for something. Sai and his ANBU had fended off most of the Chuunin that had led the initial assault on the main gate and there was a brief break that gave them all a chance to reevaluate what was going on. Shikamaru called the leaders of the squads that were defending the main gate back to his position to get a better idea of what they seemed to be facing. It didn't take him long to reorganize their defenses in preparation for the next wave of attacks.

The onslaught lasted well into the evening, still mostly Chuunin and they were beneath the skill of most of the Konoha forces. The Konoha ninja were suffering mostly injuries thanks to Tsunade's help, but the Iwa ninja seemed to be faring far worse. Kakashi and Guy had just returned from separate solo missions and Choji with his Genin team. The Genin went to protect the evacuees and Shikamaru quickly added the newcomers to the defense plan. Kakashi went to help Naruto at the West gate; Choji and Guy stayed at the main gate. The Iwa nin seemed to just keep coming, they were bound to wear out soon. The ninja of the village of Konoha were not about to allow anyone to harm their precious village, no matter how tired and dirty they were. The fighting continued as the moon moved into position high overhead.

* * *

Ino kept holding Sakura's hand and it seemed that her strength had returned as the pain increased. Sakura was sweating profusely and her short pink hair was plastered to the sides of her face as it contorted in pain with each contraction. It was all Ino could do to keep her calm and focused on making it through each contraction. The baby was in position and it wouldn't be long before the last phase of labor began. Ino kept a calming hand on Sakura's brow where she had placed a cloth soaked in cool water; trying to ignore her own aching hand within Sakura's grip.

"Naruto…where is he?" Sakura said in between contractions, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry Sakura, they are still preoccupied," Ino said trying not to sound worried. The battle was going longer than anyone had expected and she needed to keep Sakura as calm as possible.

"I need to be strong! …He's doing his best out there…I need to do mine…" Sakura said with labored breathing.

"The baby's coming. We need to get ready," the young medic stated. The young woman helped Sakura get into position for the last phase of labor. They knew it was time, but Sakura seemed to be waiting for Naruto. "I'm sorry Sakura-sensei; we need to deliver the baby now. On my count, 1…2…3…PUSH!!"

Sakura held her breath and pushed through the contraction with all that was in her. Ino supported her back and Sakura leaned back into her after she was finished pushing.

"Good. You are doing just fine. Ready…1…2…3…PUSH!"

Sakura gave another strong push and relaxed once more into her friend when the contraction had ended. 'Naruto, where are you?'

"One more. I can see the head. Last push…NOW!!"

"NARUTO!!" Sakura cried, cringing as she gave her final push.

The walls of the shelter were carved out of the solid mountain, but the people could still hear the shrill cries of a baby being brought into the world. He sounded strong as he complained about being taken from the warm, dark place where he had spent the last nine months.

Sakura was tired, but the pain seemed to leave her body as soon as the baby was born, a healthy baby boy who was a miniature Naruto, except for flaming red hair. The medic nin had him cleaned up and wrapped in a blanket before she laid him in his mother's arms. Ino also looked tired but she couldn't take her eyes away from the cute little baby in Sakura's arms.

"You did well, Sakura," Ino said as she gave the soft red hair gentle strokes.

"He is in perfect health, although I would think Tsunade-sama would like to give him a more thorough examination later," said the young medic as she cleaned her hands and what equipment she had used.

The baby had calmed down once being place in Sakura's arms. He was making a scrunched up face in protest of his situation and his little hands were in tight little fists.

"He's a fighter, you can tell by the way he's already carrying himself," Ino pointed out.

Sakura just smiled down at him. She wanted to protect this little one with all that she had in her, which could be a lot knowing her strength in the battle field and in the operating room. She reached out with her free hand to touch his little fingers and count his little toes. He was so perfect and she wanted to treasure this moment forever, even if his father wasn't here to see it.

"Thank you, Ino," Sakura said, her eyes never leaving the tiny infant's face.

"Any time, Forehead. You did great," her best friend said as she gave Sakura's shoulders a squeeze; leaning so that her cheek was touching her friend's damp, pink head.

* * *

They had been right in assuming that there were several powerful Jounin waiting for the Chuunin to wear out the Konoha forces. Naruto had been taken on by a formidable earth and water user, but they were no match for Naruto and Kakashi's combination toad water pistol mixed with Kakashi's Raikiri. Gamatetsu actually liked the mud bath the man had sunk him in was relaxing in the nice cool mud. Erika had taken care of another with an illusion, but not before she grew week with overuse of her jutsu. Ren had to run in and get her out of there before she got stepped on by a toad in mid attack. Tora and Kakashi quickly had the enemy gathered up and tied out of the way, at least the ones that could still put up a fight. They were all sporting multiple injuries and even Naruto's stamina was getting worn thin. He jumped in front of Erika who had been getting treatment from Ren when a group of Chuunin had caught them off guard with a shower of kunai. Naruto had taken most of the attack without thinking of his own safety, but it was nothing that Sakura couldn't patch up.

'Sakura!'

He had forced himself not to think of her and suddenly all the worry hit him like a flood. It was almost as bad as the pain of the kunai in his back. Kakashi quickly took care of the source of the kunai and the battle was as good as over.

"Naruto, better get those wounds taken care of. I don't think Sakura would react too well if you show up looking like that," suggested Kakashi. "We are pretty much done here. Better contact Shikamaru and let him know."

Naruto nodded and ignored the pain as he radioed his friend. "Shikamaru," he called over the radio. "We are all done here. How is everyone else doing?"

"The rest of the Iwa nin are retreating. Sasuke had himself a Jounin with some fight, but it was a relatively quick battle."

"Hehe, leave it to Sasuke to make me look bad by making his battle quick. Itai!" answered the blonde, winching as Ren removed kunai. Their rivalry had never really died, even after it was proven that Naruto was the stronger of the two now.

"Naruto-san, Lady Tsunade bids me to tell you that there is someone who wants to meet you. Someone who needs a name," said the ever polite slug on his shoulder, who was a little confused as to the message her mistress had sent.

"Sakura! The baby!" he accidentally shouted into the radio.

"Ah!..." Shikamaru yelled in pain. "Well, if you've got things under control, go to her. They are probably in the Hokage monument's caves," he said as his ear was still ringing from Naruto shouting into it.

"Naruto-taicho, wait until I get these kunai wounds to stop bleeding before you go," ordered Ren who had removed the kunai from his back as his taicho spoke with Shikamaru over the radio.

It didn't take Ren long since the wounds were already healing on their own. The toads took their leave as well. As soon as Ren was finished, Naruto shot off as fast as the wind back toward the monument, barley touching the ramp as he bounded up it. Mitsuhiro saw him coming down the hallway and signaled for Naruto to follow him toward a room at the end of the hall. He entered what appeared to be a small hospital room. Naruto stopped suddenly as if hitting a wall. There sat an exhausted yet content Sakura with her wet hair plastered to the sides of her face and a small bundle in her arms. Ino got up from her seat besides Sakura when she saw him and made her way over to the new daddy. She silently got behind him and gave him a gentle shove in the direction of his family. He slowly started to move forward and Ino and the medic left them alone.

"How is… is…" Naruto began with hesitation.

"He's fine. Come and see," Sakura called out to him. The baby was still lying peacefully in his mother's arms, but you could tell he was getting a little fussy. "I was just about to feed him when you came in. Say hi to your daddy."

She shifted him in her arms so that Naruto could get a better view. He approached tentatively; scared as if making a sudden move would release the genjutsu and he would awaken to find this was all just an illusion. Sakura's pink hair was soaked and a mess, but he still thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. All he could see in the blanket was a set of tightly closed eyes, a little nose, and bright red fuzz on the top of his head. He Knelt down next to her bed and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here with you," he said still looking at the baby's face.

"It couldn't be helped, although I'm sure I have witnesses that heard me calling out your name several times," she replied with a tired smile. She just couldn't take her eyes off of Naruto's face as it was going through a number of emotions at the moment. He looked a mess from all the dirt and blood from the battle. He reached out to stroke the baby's hair and stopped when he realized how dirty he really was. Naruto nervously looked around for something to wash his hands with when he spotted a sink in the corner of the room. Standing up he removed his sage coat, setting it on a chair in the room. He cleaned off as much mud and muck as he could before returning to Sakura's side.

"That's better," Naruto said as he stroked the baby's fuzz. He was amazed at how small the baby was compared to his own calloused palm.

"Would you like to hold him," she asked.

He nodded and sat facing her on the bed. She shifted her weight so that she could place the baby in his arms.

"Put his head here on your elbow and get your arm underneath him…" Sakura instructed as she fixed his hold on their small son. He started out looking uncomfortable as if he was afraid to drop him. Naruto finally relaxed after a moment and the baby seemed to snuggle into his father's arms. Sakura just watched as Naruto just stared at his little face and features. She was very tired and very happy. The adrenaline rush from the announcement of his son being born had washed away all his weariness. Naruto felt like he could hold this little person forever.

"Hi there. I'm your daddy. As long as I'm here I'll never let you be by yourself, or go through any of the things I went through as a boy. Never," he said as he tried not to remember how painful his own childhood was. "Never!"

They sat there just enjoying the moment when the baby decided that it was time to eat. Naruto carefully handed him back to Sakura who then proceeded to get him to latch on for his first attempt at a meal. Once he found his goal he ate up like he knew exactly that this would fill his empty little stomach. They watched him eat a few moments before deciding to discuss other important matters, like his name.

"Well, what shall we name him? We never did narrow down our list of names," Sakura said as she looked up into Naruto's loving face.

"He's got red hair like my mom, but I don't want to use any of the family names we'd talked about," he said. He was so excited that he had forgot what was really on the list, but he wasn't about to admit it.

"He already seems like he has the heart of a fighter and I want a name that symbolizes our love for each other. How about Hotaru?"

"Hotaru*." He liked the sound of that. "Uzumaki Hotaru. Alright, dattebayo."

Sakura finished feeding Hotaru his first meal and moved him up to her shoulder and started to gently pat his back until they heard a little burp. She then brought him back down into her arms and it wasn't long before he was fast asleep.

"May I come in?" Kakashi said as he knocked on the door frame of the little makeshift hospital room.

"He just fell asleep," whispered Naruto, "but come on in."

Their former sensei walked over to the bed and stopped to watch the new Uzumaki. He observed the two new parents as they watched in awe at the little one sleeping peacefully. He must be getting old if his cute little Genin were now having kids of their own.

"So does he have a name?" asked their silver haired sensei.

"Uzumaki Hotaru," answered Sakura in a soft voice.

"Sakura-sensei, they are starting to let everyone return to the village. If you are ready, we can move you into a more comfortable room at the hospital," said the medic as she poked her head in through the door.

"All right. Are you ready, Sakura?" Naruto said as he handed his coat to Kakashi for him to carry.

Naruto gently picked her up bridal style, blanket, baby, and all. Sakura snuggled against his shoulder as he carried her out the door and toward the Hospital. She really had missed him being there with her. Hotaru fussed a little at the motion, but was soon sleeping soundly in Sakura's arms once again. They joined the other villagers in the cool night air as they descended the ramp to the village below.

* * *

"So I hear there is a baby that needs an examination?" Tsunade said as she walked into the hospital room now assigned to Sakura and the baby.

"Tsunade-shiso," said Sakura as she held up the little one in her arms; his blue eyes trying to focus on the world in front of him. The Hokage took note of the information on Sakura and the baby's chart before coming closer to inspect the baby.

"Naruto, he looks just like you did when I first held you," Tsunade said as she picked up Hotaru.

"Me?" said the startled Jounin.

"I had the honor of delivering you in that very room," she said matter-of-factly.

"Makes sense, the Kyuubi was attacking when you were born, Naruto," said Sakura. She just hoped that this was the only time she would have to deliver in that little room again.

"Well, let's take a look at you, Hotaru," Tsunade said as she laid the baby in the bassinet next to Sakura's bed and began to take off his blanket. Hotaru fussed at being cold and let the whole world know his displeasure with being inspected by a stranger. It wasn't long before Tsunade had finished her examination of him and had the squirming youngster wrapped up safely in his blanket once again before picking him up.

"He must be your son. He complains like you do, Naruto," commented the Sannin.

"Hey, when was the last time I complained about a mission?" he argued

"Ok, not lately, but I remember a time when all you did was complain," she said as she stroked the little hands. Hotaru reached out and grabbed a finger and refused to let it go. "And he looks like he inherited some of your strength, Sakura."

Tsunade held the baby for quite a while. It was obvious that she had caught a grandma bug and she was enjoying this moment. Hotaru seemed quite content in her arms and even tried to smile as he studied the Hokage's face. Naruto had taken a seat on the bed with Sakura and they just laughed at Tsunade as she started talking baby talk in an attempt to get a full smile out of him.

Finally, duty called and Tsunade laid the little one back in Naruto's arms. Hotaru let out a little yawn but didn't seem to want to sleep just in case he might miss something in this bright new world he found himself in.

"I'll come by to check the both of you tomorrow, Sakura. I wouldn't be surprised if you two might be ready to go home any time after tomorrow. He looks just fine and so do you," said Tsunade.

Just then Hotaru started to cry and Naruto gave Sakura a confused look as if to say, 'What's wrong with him now?' She leaned up and opened the blanket enough to check his diaper.

"He's wet. Would you mind changing him, hun?" she said with big, green eyes.

"Uh…OK," he said hesitantly. He laid his son back down in the bassinet and began to change him. Naruto started out awkwardly, but Sakura sat up enough to offer him some assistance in getting the wiggly little baby back into a clean diaper. Tsunade stayed just long enough to watch Naruto concur his first diaper change and then bid them fair well as she went back to reports and post battle to do's.

* * *

The next morning, their friends slowly came by a few at a time to wish them congratulations. Ino and Mitsuhiro were the first to stop by. Ino felt like a proud aunt having been there for the whole thing, but she still hadn't had much of a chance to hold him and she wanted to hold him as much as possible before either one of them got too big for her to hold him comfortably. She practically had to sit him on her belly to hold him as it was.

"He's so precious. Naruto, you must have the strong genetics for him to look just like you. And where does this red hair come from? I don't remember any of your family having red hair, Sakura."

"My mom apparently had red hair," Naruto said.

"That explains it. Forehead, if I hadn't been there, I wouldn't know from looking at him that he was yours," the kunoichi teased.

"Shut up Ino-pig! Wait till your two are born. I hear the first baby always looks more like the dad, so you'll have two little Mitsuhiros," she said to her rival.

The guys let out a laugh while the two hormonal kunoichi shot lightning bolts at each other until their glairs were redirected at their respective husbands, causing them to shut up rather quickly.

The next group to stop by was Kiba, Hinata, and their little girl Kita. Sakura and Hinata took turns holding each other's babies. Sakura had Kita laid on her lap so that she could watch the little Inuzuka as she attempted to put a pudgy toe in her mouth. Kita was already able to hold her head up really well and had found her toes and was busy discovering what her little appendages could do as she looked up at Sakura with her big light blue eyes.

Hinata looked down at little Hotaru as he lay in her arms. She never once pondered what could have been if she and Naruto had been his parents. She did let out a giggle when Hotaru started to look up at her cross eyed as he tried to focus on her face. Hinata felt blessed with her little Kita and her life with Kiba. Kiba always understood her best and she didn't feel like she had to talk around him. He just seemed to know what she was thinking. Hotaru was getting fussy so Hinata handed him off to Naruto who was now getting more comfortable handling his son. Hotaru grew calmer once he realized he was in the more familiar arms of his father.

"Man, you look good with a kid in your arms. You know, he's going to need a dog when he gets bigger," suggested Kiba.

"Thanks, man. We'll wait for him to decide that. Who knows, between Sakura and me, he already has his choice of summons to choose from," Naruto said trying to avoid hurting Kiba's feelings. He didn't really want a dog, but who knows.

"Kiba-kun, please quit trying to get rid of the puppies. Besides, I don't mind having all those cute little puppies around for a few months before we have to find them owners," she said. It was true, Kiba could read her like a book, but being married to him had given her more confidence and she was slowly becoming more assertive.

Hotaru let out a little squeak of a yawn and Naruto laid him down into the little bassinet. Kiba and Hinata took that as the cue to leave. Hinata picked up Kita and they quietly said goodbye before leaving the little family alone. Naruto also decided he needed to go home and get a shower. He had yet to go home since the attack and even though his ninja skills helped him to stay awake days at a time, he could use a nap.

"Sakura no hana, I just need to get some stuff done at home and then I'll be back. You just take it easy," he said before kissing her on the head. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him into a more intimate kiss. A huge grin spread across his face and then gave her another kiss in return. Naruto then went over to the baby and gave him a small kiss on his round little cheek before quietly turning to leave. Grabbing his coat off of a nearby chair he slipped out the door, blowing her a kiss before closing the door behind him. Sakura figured that with the baby sleeping, now was as good a time as any to take a nap too.

* * *

**Congrats to Naruto and Sakura. We'll just have to wait and see what the world holds for this little family. Until next time.**

* "The Japanese word for a firefly is "hotaru."… They have been a metaphor for passionate love in poetry since Man'you-shu (the 8th century anthology)… Their eerie lights are also thought to be the altered form of the souls of soldiers who have died in war." Courtesy of .


	5. Sasuke Growing Pains

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: rao hyuga 18, uzumakisunspydr, and GabbysCrossing. Thanks to everyone else who tagged this story as well. I hope you enjoy so please read and review.

Kenjutsu scene I was inspired to write after watching "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"

Minor references breast feeding, nothing graphic.

Last chapter I tried to put in a web site reference for Hotaru, but I found out the hard way FF doesn't like to show those. If you're curious just google Japanese firefly and it is the sight on japanese(dot) about (dot)com.

_Glossary:_

Aishiteru: romantic I love you

kenjutsu: sword jutsu

Iwa: rock

Umeboshi: salted plums

**All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The Story is all mine.

* * *

**

A little flirting, a little crying, a lot of comforting

Did Dad go through all this too?

Being a father isn't as easy as it sounds

Being a husband is hard work

Being a best friend takes immeasurable effort

But the rewards are beyond measure

* * *

**Chapter 5: Sasuke's Growing Pains**

The following day, Tsunade cleared Sakura and Hotaru to leave the hospital. Hotaru was healthy and Sakura was feeling well enough to be able to recuperate at home. Naruto made everything ready at home as best he could. Hotaru was a few days early, but Sakura had already set up most of the baby things before the attack and their apartment building was far enough from the gates that it hadn't received any damage.

The Harunos showed up as soon as Naruto had informed them that Sakura and the baby were home. Sakura loved her parents, but she had hoped for a bit more time alone with Naruto and Hotaru before facing the commotion that comes with having people come over. Sakura's mom had volunteered before the baby was born to take over meal preparations for a couple of days until Sakura felt more comfortable with taking care of their newborn. Mrs. Haruno took charge almost as soon as she walked in the door and practically shoved Sakura toward the bedroom ordering her to get some sleep while she could. Sakura finally relented control and settled down for a much needed nap. She wasn't the only one who needed sleep. She awoke to find Naruto asleep on the couch with Hotaru sleeping peacefully in his daddy's strong arms.

Before long, the young couple had settled into a routine of feedings and diaper changes. As long as Hotaru didn't have anything to complain about he was content to take naps or study the faces of his parents. Erika and Moegi stopped by to see Hotaru a couple days after they brought him home. Naruto hadn't talked much about the baby on their missions, but the news spread quickly what had happened when he left the battle before it was completely over. Erika and Moegi had become best friends, so it was only natural that they came over together to ooh and aah over the little baby. Erika was too nervous to hold him, but Moegi jumped at the chance to get a baby fix. Moegi and Konohamaru had started dating, but a family still seemed a long way off and she took advantage of this chance to hold such a precious little person. Naruto couldn't understand why the teens wanted to see the baby, but Sakura explained to him that teenage girls loved babies and that it probably had something to do with the need to get serious about starting a family in the next few years.

The next day, Naruto was holding a sleeping baby on his chest as he lounged on the couch. This was becoming an almost daily occurrence since they brought him home. Naruto hadn't had much affection growing up and he didn't want his own son to go through that same experience. It had given him an excuse to hold the little one as he slept. His eyes were closed and he wasn't far from falling asleep himself when he heard Sakura getting ready to go out.

"Naruto, I'm going to run out and get a few things for dinner. We are getting low on milk and you ate the last of the cup ramen as well. Can you think of anything else we need?" she asked him in a whisper.

"Hmm, can you get me some umeboshi? I'll be back on mission duty soon and I could use some for rice balls," he whispered his reply.

"OK, I hope to be back before he wakes up. Aishiteru," she said as she slipped her sandals on and quietly closed the door behind her.

"Aishiteru," he whispered back. He started to fall asleep again when he could feel someone watching him from their balcony.

"Hey teme, I know you're out there. You can come in, babies don't bite when they are sleeping, dattebayo," he said quietly to the figure just beyond his sliding door.

"Baka, who said anything about babies biting," Sasuke said as he stepped out of the shadows.

Naruto didn't move or open his eyes as his former teammate slipped off his shoes and came into the living room. Sasuke just stood there waiting for who knows what while watching Naruto with the baby on his chest. He was obviously more comfortable watching from the shadows than joining them.

"Hm, you look whipped," said Sasuke.

"According to Sakura, we're 'precious'," he whispered with a smirk. "Sit down if you're able."

"Hm," was the only sound Sasuke made as he sat down on a nearby chair.

They remained silent for a moment. Sasuke wondered if the blonde had finally fallen asleep when Naruto started talking in a low voice, still not opening his eyes. He was very comfortable and really didn't want to move.

"So, how's construction coming?" the blonde asked.

"It's coming slowly. I don't think they'll be done before spring. The head architect has a good crew though, so I hope to get moved into my new place come June. It's nothing compared to the Nara or Hyuuga residence, but it will be a start," replied Sasuke. He normally wasn't this talkative, but Naruto suspected that he was secretly enjoying this new project of his.

"A start for what?" questioned his friend with a small smirk.

"I'll have a place to train in private for one," he said avoiding the real question he knew Naruto was asking.

"And two?" Naruto continued trying to lead the conversation.

"Are you trying to get me to admit to something, dobe?" replied Sasuke as cool as ever.

"Well, I just wondered if you were thinking of settling down. I seem to remember you spouting out ideals of rebuilding the Uchiha clan at one point," said Naruto now opening his eyes and looking at his friend.

"It takes more than one person to do that. I lost my fan club so I don't have any ideas of who would help me at the moment," he replied honestly much to Naruto's surprise. Both Ino and Sakura were obviously off limits, so he wondered who else Sasuke was referring to.

"What about Karin? I thought she was head over heels your number one fan?" Naruto said referring to Sasuke's old teammate from Hawk.

"No. I'm surprised you even brought her up after what happened between her and Sakura. Guess I'm just not as lucky as you," Sasuke said actually sounding a little jealous. Just one more thing to remind him of what Naruto had accomplished that he had not.

"Luck had nothing to do with it," was all he said. Hotaru squirmed in his arms and they both went quiet hoping that the baby wouldn't wake up. "Besides," Naruto started when the baby seemed to be in deep sleep again, "you can't just keep walking around here sulking like Shino. I know of several chuunin kunoichi that think you're dreamy. I bet Ino knows of girls interested in tall, dark and moody better than I would."

"You're just saying that. Trust me, missing-nin are only 'dreamy' when they are still missing, dobe."

"Sulk all you want, but you're not going to get anyone interested in you if you don't get out from under this dark cloud that's been hanging over your head since you found out that the world you grew up in didn't just stop when you left. You can't just keep beating yourself up just because 'dead last' grew up and moved on without 'the genius'," said the surprisingly wise Toad Sage. "We all changed the day you walked out on us. We all looked up to you, whether we would admit to it or not. We've all moved on because we had to, not because we wanted to. It's your turn now to take the new beginning you've been given and figure out what it is you are going to do with it."

Sasuke just sat there staring at his friend who was dead serious. Not only was he beginning to look like a father, but he was beginning to act like one as well. Sasuke let out a sharp sigh and got up to leave.

"Naruto, keep talking like that and I'm going to have to knock you down a couple of notches," Sasuke said challenging is friend with a half smirk. No matter how true Naruto's words were, he still didn't like to get lectured.

"Bring it! Might be the only way to knock you out from under that dark cloud of yours," he replied. He knew that Sasuke wouldn't stay mad at him, but this was something he had to figure out on his own.

Sasuke turned to the balcony and put his shoes back on before hoping up onto the balcony ledge.

"Naruto, if Sakura doesn't have you on too tight of a leash, meet me at our old training grounds tomorrow morning," he said as he shifted his weight in preparation for a leap down to the street below.

"Tomorrow then," he said as Sasuke disappeared from sight.

Hotaru let out a stretch of his tiny little arms and started to open his eyes. He had managed to sleep through the whole thing. It seemed he was a deep sleeper like his father. Sakura had even had to wake him up a couple of times just so that he wouldn't miss a meal. Just then, Sakura walked in to find Naruto looking out the balcony door and Hotaru stretching.

"Was that Sasuke I saw leaving just now?" she asked.

"Yeah, guess he wanted to see the baby and he ended up with more than he bargained for," replied her husband.

"What are you talking about?" she asked as she started to put groceries away.

"Oh, he started whining and I gave him a piece of my mind," he replied as he got up and walked to the nursery to change Hotaru's diaper now that the little guy was starting to show his discomfort.

Sakura finished putting the groceries away and followed her two boys into the nursery. She found Naruto mid diaper change with Hotaru wiggling on the changing table.

"OK, Sasuke was whining," she started. "Those are two words you don't normally hear together in a sentence. What was he whining about?"

"He was complaining about not having any girls interested in him after I finally got him to admit that he might be trying to settle down," Naruto said as he finished snapping the little outfit back together. "I ended up basically telling him to get over himself and grow up and so I'm going to meet him at the training grounds tomorrow morning."

"I really wish you two would do your talking without trying to kill each other," she said knowing full well that no matter how well Naruto meant whatever advice he had given the Uchiha that it always seemed to end in a physical contest of some sort.

Sakura picked up Hotaru as it was now time for him to eat and walked back into the living room. She sat down on the couch and proceeded to feed him as Naruto walked to the kitchen to get a glass of milk for himself. He came back into the room and sat down in the chair that Sasuke had been sitting in not long ago. He leaned forward in his chair with his elbows on his knees as he watched Sakura feed their son. He sat there looking at her trying to remember life before Hotaru and finding that he had a hard time picturing the life that was his only a week ago. The words he just spoke to Sasuke just moments ago came back to him. 'We've all moved on because we had to, not because we wanted to.' Sakura had been a part of his own healing and had helped him to move on. Hotaru made that more of a reality as he was now fully responsible for not only Sakura, but everything he did would affect this little person in her arms. Naruto emptied his glass of milk and let out a sigh.

"What is it? You seem like your mind left with Sasuke," she asked while shifting the baby onto her shoulder causing him to let out a little burp before she even started patting his back.

"It's just something that I said to Sasuke that I've been trying to tell myself lately. Maybe I'm still in awe at how life has turned out that it seems almost like a dream having you and Hotaru here with me. I wake up hoping that the dream didn't end and I feel relieved when I find you and the baby fast asleep next to me. I guess that's part of growing up. We had these dreams of making team 7 whole again. You and I have moved on and started a family of our own. Sasuke is still back there looking for direction in his life and now he's looking at our backs instead of us looking at his."

"Naruto, he's got to find his own way, just as we found ours. All we can do is make sure he doesn't slip back into the darkness," she said attempting to cheer him up.

"You're right, dattebayo," he said as he got up to give her a kiss on the lips. He walked back into the kitchen to get rid of his glass. After disposing of his glass, he grabbed the edge of the counter with both hands and leaned into it as he thought. She was right; there was no easy fix where Sasuke was concerned. There never was. He let out a frustrated growl before taking a deep breath and exhaling sharply. This would have to wait until tomorrow. Right now he had a baby to spoil and a wife to pamper before he returned to the life of a shinobi.

* * *

The sun had just begun its assent; shining pale light through the early morning mist on a figure dressed all in black practicing his kenjutsu. He moved through the various forms like a dance; slicing, blocking and stabbing invisible opponents. The sword glimmered in the early morning light moving as if it was an extension of his body. He felt someone watching him, but he continued his ritual until its completion. His friend jumped out of a nearby tree and started clapping.

"There is no one in the Fire Country better than you at kenjutsu. You make it look too easy. Think I'll stick to the more traditional weapons though," Naruto said as he walked up to the Uchiha.

"You never did have enough grace to handle the moves required in kenjutsu anyway. If I hadn't seen you in practice enough growing up, I would have a hard time reading that clumsy form of taijutsu you use," remarked the tall man with raven black hair who hadn't even broken a sweat in his practice.

"True, you're more graceful, but let's see who still gets in the biggest butt kicking," he said as he took one of his favorite taijutsu stances. "Come on, taijutsu against taijutsu. Let's do this plain and simple."

The two men leapt at each other and were a blur of kicks, blocks, and punches. Sasuke went on his hands and quickly sent multiple kicks in Naruto's direction as his hands danced along the ground. Naruto was too fast for him and managed to dodge or block every one. If they had had an audience no one would have been able to keep up with their movements as they punched and ducked and kicked throughout the mist along the worn grass of the training grounds. The years of training both men had under their belts made it so that their bodies fought by muscle memory. The battle looked like a dance that could go on for hours until a figure in a cat mask appeared near the two fighters.

"Uzumaki Naruto, the Hokage needs to speak with you. Now," the figure in the mask spoke before disappearing as quickly as he had appeared.

"What does Baachan want now?" he mumbled as he dodged the last of Sasuke's kicks before back flipping out of his friends range.

"Guess I still owe you for that lecture you gave me yesterday," Sasuke said as he now stood still across the field from his blonde friend.

"You know I only said those things because I'm worried about you right?" said Naruto as he wiped some sweat off his face with his sleeve.

"Yeah dobe, I know. Better get before the Hokage is the one giving you the lectures," he said as he turned to pick up his katana that he had sat down before their brief fight. Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke and Sasuke just looked at where his friend had stood before going back to his kenjutsu practice.

Naruto reappeared in the Hokage's office. Tsunade was looking out the window at the village below. Something was obviously on her mind and she didn't look too happy about it.

"Ah, Naruto how's Sasuke?" she said without turning around. Her ANBU had obviously told her what he saw when he went to get Naruto.

"Same as always, but I know that isn't what you wanted to talk to me about. What's up?" said the tall blonde as he walked up to her desk.

"I just got a report from one of our ANBU in the Iwa country. Seems like they weren't too happy with losing the battle; they are getting ready to make their move. I want you and Sai to use your skills to check out this information before I send our forces up north. I just received word that the grass country does not want to get involved in any fight that may come out of this. We just signed that peace treaty with them and I don't want to risk losing the delicate peace we just established with them. They will let our forces through, but that is it. Don't worry about your team. I've got a simple C rank mission I'm sending them on."

"Do you want us to contact the ANBU already up there, or is this an observation only mission?" he asked.

Tsunade turned to face him and he could tell that this recent chain of events was wearing on her. Her jutsu was weakening and he could see some grey in her long blonde pony tails.

"This is just a quick survey mission. I want Sai to get approximate numbers and positions using his art and then I want you to use your shadow clones to get a more detailed idea of their forces; numbers, weapons, and jutsu if possible," she said handing him a report with the details of the mission written on it. He read it over quickly and then looked back up to the face of his Hokage.

"Tsunade-baachan, do you think we are going to war?" he asked in his straightforward manner.

"I hope not, Naruto. They seem pretty determined to pull us into one thought," she said remembering the last great ninja war that had involved the earth country back when she was much younger and stronger. The Yondaime had become Hokage due to much of what happened in that war and she didn't want to see his son become Hokage in the same way. She was about ready for him to take over, but he didn't seem to be in a hurry to do so.

"Sai will be back from his mission soon, so you two can head out when you are ready. I don't want this mission being publicized either, so leave as quietly as possible. This is an S-class mission, so it's best not to even tell Sakura anything other than that this is a reconnaissance mission," strongly hinting for him to keep everyone in the dark about the possibility of war.

"Hai, Tsunade-baachan," he said as he turned and walked out the door. Tsunade turned back toward the window and watched the young sage walk back to his apartment.

'Please come back with good news, Naruto,' she thought hoping against all hope. Things were about to turn ugly and she knew her ninja were strong, but war meant loss and she didn't want to lose any of her precious young ninja.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Sakura, It can't be helped," he said as he packed his gear in his back pack.

"It must be something important if you can't even tell me where you're going," she said obviously not happy about not knowing where the Hokage was sending him.

"All I can tell you is that this is an S-class reconnaissance mission with Sai. She specifically told me not to tell you, so you'll have to take it up with Baachan."

"Does this have to do with last week's attack?" she asked with pleading eyes trying to get at least a little information out of him.

He paused momentarily as he was packing. She knew she had guessed right when he stopped and looked her full in the face. He put both hands on her shoulders and was only inches from her face, his eyes telling her what he wished he could tell her in words. He cupped her face in his hand and wiped away a tear that had started to fall down her cheek.

"Sakura, I can't tell you," he said looking into her emerald green eyes. "I don't have any choice. I don't want to leave you and the baby here where I can't protect you. You're going to have to stay here and be strong for the both of us. I couldn't stand it if something were to happen while I'm away. I almost lost you once and I don't want to think about losing both of you."

His deep blue eyes conveyed to her the fear he was desperately trying to hide. She knew he was referring to that time in ANBU when she had almost lost her life. Something must be going on that was bad enough to bring those memories back.

"Naruto, I'm sorry for trying to get details out of you. I just don't like not knowing where you are," she said, tears falling from her green eyes. "I don't know if I could do this alone. I knew you would be going back out there soon, but I've been in denial. Just promise that you'll come back safe to me."

"I promise," he said with his trademark smile. "Besides, I won't have you along to patch me up if I do something stupid. Come here."

He pulled her into his strong arms and held her as she buried her head in his chest. She was trying to be strong, but she couldn't hold back the tears that ran down her cheeks.

"Look at it this way, you can practice your genjutsu without me here to bother you," he said as he stroked her pink hair.

"Yeah, but now I won't have anyone to practice on either," she said referring to his weakness to genjutsu. She could have stayed in his arms all day if it wasn't for the crying of a baby coming from the nursery. She went on tip toes to give him a kiss and freed herself from his embrace to tend to her baby who had obviously woken up from his nap in a bad mood. Naruto watched her back as she disappeared from his view, wiping her eyes as she did so.

Naruto returned to his packing as Sakura took care of whatever was causing the little one grief. He heard a whistle come from outside the window and looked up to see a tall man with black hair in an ANBU uniform and mask standing on the roof across from their building. He quickly put the last of his equipment and provisions in his bag and turned to leave.

"Sakura-chan, it's time for me to go," he said as he walked toward the nursery. Sakura was calming the troubled baby in her arms who seemed as though he sensed the tension in the air. She was swaying gently back and forth whispering something calming in the little one's ear when he poked his head around the door frame. He sat his bag down by the door and came in to give his little family a hug before heading out the door.

"Aishiteru. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can," he said kissing her on the lips one last time.

"I love you too," she said when the kiss had ended. He gave Hotaru a kiss on his red fuzz and made his escape before leaving got any harder.

Sakura looked out the window to see Sai in his ANBU uniform and watched as he and Naruto disappeared beyond her view. Hotaru resumed his fussing and Sakura was pulled from her thoughts to focus on calming the little one.

"It's just you and me now, little one. Daddy will be back soon, don't worry," she said mostly to calm her own fears that something they were all fearing was about to happen.


	6. Earth Country

I've never bought a copy of the manga before, but I saw the 45th volume in the grocery store and I just couldn't help myself. I was pleasantly surprised that the artwork is better than the Shonnen, so I'm assuming that Kishimoto goes back and corrects some of his mistakes. One thing I thought was rather cool was the scene of Naruto's mental image of the "Gutsy Ninja". The main character now has whisker marks. Makes you wonder if that is how Kishimoto is planning on drawing the older Naruto. OK, now on to the important stuff.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: uzumakisunspydr: Yes, Sasuke is very much a human. ;)

Goneczy3000: Thanks as I do the happy dance ;D ;D

Mei fa-chan: Glad you liked it. ;D

Thanks to everyone else who tagged or added it to their favorite list as well. I hope you enjoy so please read and review.

_Glossary:_

Iwa: rock

hensojutsu: Chameleon Art

_Ones you probably know but I'll translate anyway_

hitai-ate: forehead protector

Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: multi shadow clone technique

**All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The Story is all mine.**

**Chapter 6: Earth Country**

It was thick bamboo forest as far as the eye could see. Naruto and Sai were near the northern border of the grass country. They decided to stop and get some much needed information about the location of the Iwa forces before crossing the border. Sai had pulled out his scroll and was beginning to draw his small army of mice while Naruto kept watch. On their way to the grass country, Sai had traded his ANBU uniform for a more civilian disguise. Naruto had also put away his hitai-ate leaving his blonde hair, which had gotten quite long, to dangle before his eyes. He had also foregone his usual orange attire for a more civilian look wearing green cargo pants and a long sleeve black t-shirt. His reputation had now spread to the point that the bingo books were labeling him the 'orange demon'. He still retained his sage coat since it was late fall and the air was chilly. Sai let out a command and his army of mice came to life and scattered across the border.

"Now we just wait and see. Once we know where their camps are, you can use your shadow clones as planned."

"I know ANBU wouldn't send false information, but I really hope we don't find signs of battle preparations," he said to the commander of the ANBU.

Sai had become the youngest commander ever in the history of ANBU. He had only returned to ANBU after being given a direct order from the then Hokage, Danzo. A shakeup of the Black Opps happened after Danzo's treachery had been uncovered. Sai had stepped up and took charge of the reorganization. It was because of the support of his friends that he had worked so hard to make ANBU the elite squad it was meant to be.

"Why don't we go ahead and set up camp. They may take a while and I've got them set at my maximum range. I'll go and find some firewood if you want to find something for dinner," Sai said. It was obvious he was quite use to giving orders by now.

"Hope you like fish," Naruto said as Sai disappeared into the bamboo.

After Sai had a fire going, Naruto came back with four small fish which he had already cleaned and skewered with some branches. They sat there for a while after they had eaten just talking small talk when Sai shifted his attention elsewhere as he was receiving information from his little army.

"It looks like we have a camp of enemy ninja North East of here. It is a decent size camp too," Sai said in his usual unemotional manner.

Sai drew a quick map in the dirt near the fire as it was now getting dark enough that it was hard to see much beyond the glow of the fire.

"The camp is just beyond this section of the forest, between these two streams before they become one river here," he motioned to the scratches in the dirt representing the layout of the camp.

"Right, now it's my turn. Let's see what these guys are up to," the blonde said as he made two shadow clones. "Go see what these guys are up to, but stay hidden. We don't want to start anything we can't finish right away. Meet back here before dawn, dattebayo."

"OS," his clones said in unison and disappeared into the night.

The two clones stayed together until they reached the first stream Sai had mentioned in his directions. They split up going to either side of the compound, each disguising himself in a hensojutsu so that they wouldn't be recognized as leaf ninja if they were caught, much less clones of the strongest of the leaf ninja. Clone #1 crept up behind a tree near the edge of the camp as clone #2 went to the other side and stayed just beyond some shrubs near several tents. They prepared for a long night of watching and waiting. The camp looked like there were about 50 ninja, complete with tents, weapons, and several fires set up for cooking and warmth against the chilly November air. The group was made up of 12 teams of 4, each consisting of three Chuunin and one Jounin, with a commander and his aid.

Most of what the clones could hear had nothing to do with ninja activities. The rock ninja seemed to be getting ready to turn in and most were heading toward their respective tents. Several were sporting injuries that could have been from the most recent encounter with Konoha. Two Chuunin took up watch not far from where the first clone was concealed and they seemed to be in a talkative mood. The clone masked his chakra and listened in. They talked mostly about unimportant issues for quite a while, but then they started getting into a deeper conversation once the noise from the camp had all but disappeared.

"Rokkaku-sama sure seems in a hurry to get over the border. I heard he wants to attack as soon as we have enough supplies for at least a month of fighting. I don't see why he's in such a hurry to attack. We just got our butts kicked not that long ago. Do you really think that we have enough strength to defeat Konoha?" asked the first ninja, obviously a less experienced Chunnin.

"I believe that Rokkaku-sama wouldn't attack if he didn't think we were strong and Konoha deserves whatever they get. All these talks of 'peace' are just a cover up for them to take control of the entire area. They are just using the influence of that 'orange demon' to bully the smaller countries into joining forces with them and get whatever they want. Right now is the best time to attack before their alliances are strengthened and that is why Rokkaku-sama wants to attack now," his senior replied.

"I hear they will be moving the rest of our forces from the village within the next couple of weeks as well. I haven't seen that little kunoichi of mine for over a month. I don't think Rokkaku-sama will give us enough free time before we attack for me to go see her. Speaking of which, didn't you say you hooked up with a little common girl in the Grass country before we left? Whatever happened with her?" the Chunnin said as their conversation deteriorated into less interesting topics.

'Sounds like the Earth Country leader is afraid of me,' thought the clone. 'Wonder who this Rokkaku really is. I've never heard about him before.' The clone spent the rest of the night hiding behind his tree since this seemed to be the best vantage point to keep an eye and ear on the watchmen. They did spend some time talking about jutsu and plans giving the clone enough useful information to return to the original with.

He met up with the other clone before dawn and they returned before anyone in the Iwa camp seemed the wiser. Naruto had taken up watch in the middle of the night while Sai lay in his bed roll asleep. The shadow clones dispersed one at a time, allowing Naruto to mentally absorb all the information they had learned in the night. Sai awoke to find Naruto looking at the rising sun with a grim look on his face.

"Any luck?" he asked an obviously grim Naruto.

"Yeah, sounds like war is upon us whether we want it or not. I sent a messenger toad back to Konoha with last night's information. Sounds like their leader, some guy named Rokkaku, has his mind set on stopping the balance of peace we've recently gained with some of the smaller counties," he said with a far off look in his eyes. "Guess we'd better get ready to find the rest of the camps. No sign of this Rokkaku at this camp and I don't want to return to Konoha until we get a better idea of what these guys are really capable of."

"Fine with me," Sai said as he started to pack up his bed roll. They ate breakfast quickly and quietly and cleaned up their camp so that no trace remained before they took off toward the border. They planned on taking this slowly, moving from one camp to the next until they knew all they could about the enemy. If this was going to be a war, they wanted to end it quickly.

* * *

Naruto and Sai crossed the border and found themselves in a small farming village only a few miles from the Grass country. The village looked poor and had obviously seen conflict during the years of its existence. Even to the untrained eye you could tell that the village was unusually busy and there could be seen the occasional ninja with a Hidden Rock village insignia on their forehead protectors moving through the crowds. Sai and Naruto found a small inn that was also the local eating establishment where they decided to set up their base of operation. If they were lucky, they would find some talkative locals that could tell them a little about the ninja activity as of late.

They entered the inn and found that the bar seemed to double as the front desk. A shorter, older gentleman was busy cleaning glasses behind the bar from where he welcomed them as his customers and possible guests.

"Welcome, how can I help you?" he said with a friendly, yet slightly husky voice.

"We are looking for a room for at least one night, please," said Sai when he reached the bar.

"As you more than likely have noticed, we have been very busy with travelers, but you are in luck we have one double room available," he said as he pulled out a registration book and a key. "May I ask what sort of business you have in our little town?"

"We are carpenters in search of some work. Our country is rather poor and we heard that the Earth country might have a need for some laborers," Naruto said using the cover story Sai and he had worked out earlier. Both men were comfortable enough in carpentry to offer their skills if anyone actually hired them on while they were on their mission.

"Oh yes, well, it seems that these ninjas only plan on staying here for a short time. I don't think they will be hiring any one to build any long term buildings. I'm sorry to disappoint you, however, I do have some repairs if you two wouldn't mind looking at them later," offered the friendly inn keeper. "Our village is small and we haven't had anyone handy in woodworking live here for a couple of years now. Most of us are skilled enough to make quick repairs, but that's all."

"We'll take a look once we've settled in. Thank you, sir," replied Sai.

Naruto and Sai finished checking in and went up to their room. It was a small room with only enough room for two basic beds. All the guests shared a bathroom in the main hall. Not the best of accommodations, but it would do if they found themselves staying there for a couple of days while they did reconnaissance at night.

The inn keeper only had minor repairs that needed attention and it didn't take long to make the quick improvements. He was a rather talkative little man and Naruto and Sai wanted to take advantage of any information he may have picked up. His establishment seemed to be the local hang out for the working class in the evenings so it was well worth it to stick around for a day or two.

From talking, or rather listening, to the innkeeper they learned that the ninja had been gathering supplies and weapons in preparation to cross the border within the next few weeks. They had gathered up all available metal workers in the surrounding farming communities and this had made it difficult on the farmers who wanted to get their equipment repaired before the spring planting season. He also talked about the young general that had taken a meteoric rise through the ranks and had earned himself a name as a fierce warrior. Rokkaku Takayori was about the same age as Kakashi, but he had lost his father at the hand of the former Hokage of Konoha. Naruto and Sai had assumed that he was talking about Naruto's father, the Yondaime. The two "carpenters" decided to eat their dinner with the other guests at the inn and retired late after sharing mostly small talk with the locals.

After they had retired for the evening, Sai prepared his army of mice for their nightly scouting mission and Naruto had decided to take a quick bath while one was available. Moments later, Naruto returned to find Sai with his eyes closed on one of the beds as he waited for his little friends to return.

"So, do you know any details about the battle with the Iwa ninja that the innkeeper was talking about?" asked a half asleep Sai.

"No. I think Kakashi is the only one that is still alive who would remember what happened that day. I remember Dad had led the counter attack against the Iwa ninja, but that's it. Just because I'm his son hasn't made finding out information about him any easier," Naruto confessed to his friend. Sai had learned a while ago who Naruto's dad was, but he had never asked him until now how much Naruto knew about his father.

"Sounds like this Rokkaku guy might have a personal grudge against your dad. Could get interesting if he finds out who you are," Sai said as he now sat up on the bed. He had sensed one of his mice returning and was preparing to retrieve its information. "It looks like it's your turn, Naruto. Ready?"

"Ready."

No one seemed to notice the two men climbing out of the window of the inn that night, or the next few nights as Sai and Naruto continued to gather information.

* * *

Sakura was walking through the streets of Konoha on her way to see the Hokage. Hotaru was bundled up in her arms, sound asleep. Naruto had been gone two weeks and she was getting worried. She knew that these reconnaissance missions could easily take up to a couple of months, but Naruto's reaction had worried her and she didn't like the secrecy that surrounded his mission. She was hoping that the Hokage would at least give her an idea of how long he would be away.

"Hello Sakura," a voice said from behind her.

"Kakashi-sensei?" she said when she turned to find her silver haired teacher.

"It's good to see you up and about. How's motherhood treating you?"

"It would be a lot easier if I wasn't doing this without Naruto, but so far I'm getting the hang of it," she replied.

"Any news from him?" he asked as he fell in step with the kunoichi.

"I was just on my way to the Hokage's office now to see if she's heard from him. He left without giving me any mission details and I don't like all the secrecy surrounding this mission," she said looking down at the little bundle in her arms.

"I'll come with you then. I have business with the Hokage myself," he said as they walked up the street together.

Upon reaching the Hokage's office they found Tsunade sitting at the desk reading a scroll and talking to a toad on her desk in a hushed voice. The toad disappeared in a puff of smoke and Sakura caught her breath. There was only one toad summoner that she knew of and he was the most important person in her life. She was certain that Naruto had just sent news of some kind and she hoped the Hokage would let her know if he was alright.

"Sakura, Kakashi, I just got a message from Naruto. Sakura, you'll be happy to hear that he is alright, but I need to talk to Kakashi, alone," Tsunade said looking Sakura full in the face. She was serious and Sakura knew that if she argued with her, Tsunade was likely to lose her temper.

"But Tsunade-shiso, when is he coming home? Don't I have a right to know at least that?" she argued anyway.

Tsunade took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "His mission is taking longer than they planned, but he _is_ safe and that is all I'm going to tell you at the moment. Sakura, I know it's hard to have a loved one on the front lines, but you need to trust that I'll tell you what's going on when the time is right."

"Hai, Shiso."

Sakura turned to leave when Shikamaru came into the room.

"Sakura, how are you and the baby? Temari said to let you know that you're invited over tonight for dinner. We figured you could use an excuse to get out of the house for a while," the shadow user said with a hint of a smile.

"Thank you Shikamaru. I'll come over later," she said as she walked out the door less than enthusiastically.

Sakura closed the door behind her and turned to leave. 'What is so important about this mission that I can't know, but everyone else seems to,' she pondered to herself letting out a deep sigh. She was on the verge of tears as she headed down the hall toward the exit. 'If I hadn't had a sleeping baby with me, I might not have given up so easily. I might as well get my errands done while he's asleep.'

Back inside the office, the three Sakura had left behind were looking over the information Naruto and Sai had gathered on their mission up North.

"So Kakashi, have you ever heard of this Rokkaku Takayori?" Shikamaru asked.

"I was part of a team sent to bring the bridge down when Minato lead the counter attack. We never saw the main battle. Apparently I wasn't the only one whose life was changed that day," he said pointing to the eye covered by his headband.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shikamaru said turning the question to the Hokage.

"I've heard rumors of a new leader of the Iwa ninja the past couple of years, but information has been pretty sketchy. Naruto and Sai have uncovered the most I've ever heard about this guy. No telling how much of this information is true and how much is just part of a growing legend about the man behind the stories. It sounds like Naruto could have his hands full if he's caught or ends up facing this guy. There were reasons Minato didn't want anyone to know who his son was," said the blonde woman as she rested her elbows on her desk bringing her folded hands before her mouth as she thought about the information she had just been sent. Naruto had told most of his friends who his dad was so this didn't come as news to Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru, I want you to study the information in these scrolls concerning the enemy forces and come up with a plan. I want this to be a short campaign. I've already sent a message to the Kazekage asking for assistance, but there is no guarantee you're brother-in-law is going to want to commit any of his forces at this time. Kakashi, I want you to meet up with Naruto and Sai. You are the only one who knows that area better than anyone. I'm going to change their mission to one of preparation once you get up there. Work with Shikamaru before you go and let's end this!" she said with a determined flash in her eyes.

"Shouldn't we let Sakura in on some of this? For all we know, this could put her and the baby in danger if this is a personal attack against anything connected to the Yondaime," asked her strategist.

"I'll take care of Sakura. The last thing I need for her to do is to go anywhere near the Earth country. Dismissed!"

* * *

Naruto and Sai had picked up a little repair work from some of the local farmers. It had given them the perfect excuse to stay in the little farming town over the last two weeks as the ninja in the area continued to build their forces. Both were in shirt sleeves even though the air was cold as they worked on cutting some boards to length to repair a dairy barn in the area. The inn keeper was more than happy to have the two young "carpenters" stay at his inn especially since he had found a few more things that needed repaired since their arrival. Tsunade had sent back a message with Naruto's last toad that Kakashi was going to meet them later that night. It was about time to cut the ties they had made in this little village and they had already let the innkeeper know that they had found work in a village located closer to the center of the Earth country.

Later that evening, they had retired to their room. Both were exhausted from the day's work, but the day was not over yet. They left the window open for Kakashi to come in and the temperature in their little room had become chilly over the past few minutes.

It wasn't long before Kakashi appeared in the window with his usual salute and "Yo".

"Kakashi-sensei," said a tired Naruto. "You're late."

"Sorry, sorry," replied the silver haired Jounin. "Looks like you two have been keeping busy. I'll let Sasuke know that he can expect some help on his new house when we get back." He was teasing and the nasty glare from Naruto knew he had hit his mark. He came down from his perch and leaned against the far wall.

"Any news from home?" asked Sai who was asking for his blonde partner more than for himself.

"Everything is good. Naruto, you won't recognize your son when you get home. He looks like he doesn't miss a meal, much like his father," he teased. "Tsunade-sama has sent me with orders to take this mission to the next level. I'll tell you more when we are away from walls that may have ears."

"Sounds good to me. I'm going to get cleaned up," Sai announced. He grabbed a towel and headed toward the bathroom.

Naruto waited until Sai left the room before he asked Kakashi the questions he longed to ask him.

"So, Kakashi, how is Sakura really?" his eyes telling the Jounin that he wanted to know the whole truth.

"She's managing. I last saw her at the Hokage's office trying to pry information out of her, but she gave up rather quickly which is really not like her at all. Did something happen between you two before you left?"

"No, she was just upset that I wouldn't tell her anything," he said looking down at his sore and splintered hands. "Is Hotaru really getting that big?" he said changing the subject. He wanted to know more, but had a feeling Kakashi didn't know anything more than that.

"Sorry you're missing out on watching him grow up. It's just one of those things that come with being a ninja. I may not have kids, but it seemed like even you guys would have growth spurts on me every time I went out on a mission. Right now we all are going to need you to focus on what's going on up here, not what you're missing back home," Kakashi said in an effort to keep him focused.

"I've missed so much already and he's only a month old," he said as his hands turned into fists to keep them from shaking. He was reminded that he still had splinters in them when the pain shot through his clenched fists. He got up to pull a med kit out of his pack that Sakura had given him when he became a Jounin and proceeded to get out the splinters caused by the rough wood they had used to repair the barn.

"Kakashi-sensei, do you ever regret your life as a ninja?" he said as he picked splinters out of his hands.

"Naruto, there are things I wish I'd done better and people I wish had never died, but I gave up on regret a while ago. Why, is there something you regret?"

"Not something I regret, more something that I wish I could have had more time for. Remember when I told you that I met Dad during that fight with Pain? After that I got a hold of every bit of information I could find on him. There was a lot of information with missing pieces, but I know he had a lot to do with the battles against the Earth country. This whole mission is turning out to be like I'm retracing his footsteps and I just wish I had been given more time to get to know him, you know? I keep thinking about what I'm going to tell Hotaru when he's older about his grandfather. At the same time, I haven't been given much time with my own family. You were his student; did you know what happened back then?"

Kakashi thought for a moment about how to answer his question. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded and eye closed. Naruto watched as his former sensei as he seemed to be fighting with some inner pain. Naruto finished getting out the splinters and sat back down on the bed. Kakashi looked up at him and began his answer carefully.

"I had just become a Jounin when we were sent up here. I was to lead a mission much like the one I'll give you details of later tonight. Your father led the counter attack that was the beginning of the end of our war with the Iwa forces. Actually, I think about those days all the time. Your father saved my life twice and that is also when I got this," he said pointing to his hidden eye.

"Come to think of it, you've never spoken of how you got that eye. How did you get a sharingan without being an Uchiha?"

"My teammate was an Uchiha."

"Was?"

"He gave this to me right before he died. You actually use to reminded me of him when I first met you. He wasn't very strong, but he had a big heart. Your father actually had his hands full with the two of us because we were constantly fighting. Come to think of it, that might be why the three of you were put on my team. Our teams were a lot alike," he said with a far off look in his eye. He had never opened up to Naruto before this and it actually surprised him. "Well, enough memories. I'm probably not much more help than those history files anyway."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. I'm just frustrated at this whole thing. Even with having my own family now, I realize how much I missed out on as a kid. The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can get back home," he said giving his best half hearted smile.

Kakashi just chuckled at his attempt to lighten the mood. He was still the same number one surprising ninja, even if that meant the maturity he was showing was what surprised Kakashi these days.

* * *

The three leaf ninja ran through the thick bamboo forest to where they would be a safe distance from the village and any Iwa ninja camps before they stopped at a small stream. Kakashi gave them the details of Shikamaru's plans and they were preparing to set up traps along the supply routes. They were to disrupt the flow of supplies coming from the North. The rest of the leaf forces were going to arrive in a week and that is when the fighting would really get intense. They hoped to throw the enemy into confusion from behind enemy lines while the main assault would keep them from crossing into the Grass country. They had no intention of turning this into an all out war. Keeping the enemy within their own borders would be enough at the very least.

Once they had finished setting up a trap on one of the main bridges to where it would collapse if anything larger than a horse were to step across it, they moved on to the next target. This kept them busy for the next week. They had to take it slow just in case the routes were guarded. Sai kept his mice army out in front of them to make sure that the area was clear before they set the traps. They had to take out three major bridges and set up several minor traps around the area. Shikamaru had made his plans very detailed so that they would cause as much confusion as possible.

* * *

A/N: Rokkaku Takayori was a historical ninja at the end of the Muromachi period. I found his name on Wikipedia in the artical about the Koga-ryu ninja. He was not an Iwa ninja. I just borrowed his name. It is also where I picked up the Chameleon art jutsu. Interesting stuff if you ever happen to read it.


	7. War and Tears

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: rao hyuga 18 and uzumakisunspydr I love hearing from you as always ;). Thanks to everyone else who tagged this story as well. I hope you enjoy so please read and review.

Also, I've started posting a prequel to this story, _ANBU Gaiden_. For some reason I was able to start writing _ANBU_ after I got to a certain point in this story. This story has a little more of the NaruSaku moments we all love, but there will be some pretty serious twists to the story. Both stories are finished for the most part and I hope to keep posting both of them as regularly as possible.

**All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The Story is all mine and this chapter is dedicated to all those families separated do to circumstances beyond their control.**

**Chapter 7: War and Tears**

The gentle sound of rain hitting the windowpane was the dominant sound in the room. Sakura was sitting alone in the dark with her knees pulled up to her chest; blankets covering her legs as she sat on the bed. Tears ran down her cheeks as she gazed longingly out the window. This was becoming a nightly occurrence since Naruto had left for his mission. She hated being left in the dark about what was happening to Naruto so far from home. The weather seemed to mirror her feelings. It had rained for a week straight. It was becoming her habit of late to put on one of his old t-shirts before going to bed. If it wasn't for her baby, she would have been lost to the loneliness in her heart.

Hotaru was such a happy little baby that she found herself smiling right along with him. She spent her days playing simple games with her baby as he attempted to learn how that little body of his worked. His face would light up whenever she would play peek-a-boo with him and she found herself laughing at his little squeals of excitement when she would magically reappear out from behind her hands. He was also turning out to be quite ticklish and he would curl his toes every time she would touch them with her fingers.

The weather had been too wet to take a newborn out, so she had been spending her days doing mostly house work and a little genjutsu practice when Hotaru wasn't demanding her attention. Kurenai had dropped off some genjutsu scrolls and Sakura spent every second she could spare in studying them. She had taken a break from genjutsu right before she found out she was pregnant and had only recently taken up the study again. She was working on an illusion that fit her fighting style so that she wouldn't be forced to fight hand to hand all the time.

Ino and Temari had dropped by to help her keep her mind off of Naruto being gone, but it didn't help much when they both noted how much he looked like his father. Temari's boy, Toshihiro, was getting around really well on his hands and knees and Sakura realized how baby proof their apartment was not when he started pulling scrolls and books off of a low shelf. He was a very active baby and they teased Tamari about whether or not he was really Shikamaru's son.

The weather finally let up and she found herself at the Yamanaka flower shop the next day. The apartment seemed so empty that she was looking for something to brighten it up if even a little.

"Good morning, Sakura," said Ino from behind the counter. She hadn't been working at the hospital much lately, but she was still feeling up to working a few hours each day at the flower shop. "Look how big he is!" she said referring to the baby on Sakura's back.

She came out from behind the counter to get a better look at Hotaru who had been sucking on the edge of his carrier. Sakura still felt weird at all the attention she got just because of the baby. Everyone in the village seemed to know that this was Naruto's son and they wanted to see the cute little red head.

"So what brings you by today?" Ino asked as she played with the pudgy little fingers that were sticking out of the carrier.

"I just wanted a little something to brighten up the apartment," Sakura said as she inspected the selection of flowers they had available.

"You miss him that much huh?" Ino said having guessed why the apartment needed help.

"Is it that obvious," she said almost on the verge of tears at the mere thought of Naruto.

"Forehead, you are quiet and reserved. Nothing at all like the fiery Sakura we all know. Here, let me put together a little something to cheer up that apartment of yours."

Ino picked out some brightly colored alstromeria, lilies, daisies, and some tulips. She wrapped them in paper and gave them to Sakura.

"Here you go. Hope they help you feel better," she said with a smile.

"Thanks Ino. I really appreciate it. Well, I guess I better go home and put these in some water. It's about time for Hotaru's nap anyway," Sakura said with an almost forced smile as she tried to hide her sadness; even though she was touched by her friends concern for her.

"No problem. Now don't be such a stranger. I have a ton of gossip I need to catch you up on," the queen of gossip said with a mischievous grin.

"When don't you have a ton of gossip to catch me up on?" Sakura said sounding a little like her old self.

Sakura gave her friend a quick hug and headed home to put the flowers in some water. She really did feel much better having talked to Ino a little bit. Maybe all she needed was to talk to the Hokage one more time and see if she could get some information out of her mentor.

The Hokage beat Sakura to the punch by summoning her to her office later that same morning. All the ANBU said was she had some information Sakura might be interested in. Sakura headed over there as soon as she had packed little Hotaru in his carrier. He was becoming quite use to being toted around Konoha in his little backpack. He liked to suck on the strap and look out at all the sights. He couldn't focus on things much, but his blue eyes were wide as he watched all the colors go by. His blue eyes matched Naruto's almost perfectly, but Sakura's mom had mentioned even she had blue eyes as a baby, so they didn't know yet if he would have Naruto's eyes or Sakura's green eyes.

It didn't take her very long to get to Tsunade's office. She saw Shizune leave the office with her arms full of reports and she looked just as overworked as ever.

"Hello Sakura. The Hokage is expecting you so just go on in," Shizune said from behind the paperwork.

"Thank you, Shizune." Sakura turned to enter the double doors that Shizune had left open. "Domo," she called as she entered.

"Sakura, I see you brought Hotaru. How are you two getting along?" the Sannin asked as she got up from her desk to inspect Sakura's little passenger.

"We are getting by. He eats well and has started staying awake longer. My mom thinks he's the happiest baby she's ever seen," the new mom bragged. She swung the pack off of her shoulder and proceeded to remove him from his restraint. He let out a little coo at the motion and he showed off his smiling ability by giving his mom the biggest smile anyone had ever seen outside of Naruto's.

"He's got Naruto's smile, that is for sure," the Hokage commented as she picked up the little guy from Sakura's arms.

"So what did you want to see me about?"

"I got some information from Naruto and this time he sent something in it for you," she said as she sat back at her desk, baby in her arms. She pulled a scroll out of her desk and handed it to Sakura who could barely restrain the emotion that was catching in her throat. Sakura quickly unrolled it as Tsunade played with the baby. Her eyes started tearing up as she read the familiar handwriting.

_Sakura-chan,_

_I found myself writing this and missing you. I know I'm not supposed to send personal messages while on an S-class mission, but I couldn't help myself. Hopefully Baachan won't mind passing this on to you. I can't give you any details about where I am, but we are doing fine and keeping busy. Our mission is taking longer than we had first planned, but only because we want to do this right, not because of increased danger. _

_How is the baby? I can't believe he's finally here only to have me so far away from the both of you. I want more than anything to be there with you. We seem to always have bad timing when it comes to being together. No matter what, know that I really want to be with you and you're love means more to me than anything. No matter what, I will be home in your arms as soon as I possibly can. Believe it!_

_I don't know what else I can write, other than I love you so much and I wish you could be here with me. Maybe one day we can go back to doing missions together. I never really appreciated all the time we spent together on missions, even if we were always too busy to really just be together. Sai is bugging me to hurry it up, so I need to go. _

_Aishiteru_

_Naruto_

Sakura let a couple of tears fall on the open scroll as she read. The letter didn't tell her much, but it was more than she had had in several weeks. He had sounded a little depressed and Sakura wished she could go to him and cheer him up. Tsunade watched as the pink haired kunoichi tried to hold her tears back in vain. Sakura slowly rolled the scroll back up and went to hand it back to Tsunade.

"Keep it. He sent a separate one related to the mission." Tsunade let Sakura collect herself a little more before continuing. "I haven't told you what his mission is because I didn't want _anyone_ finding out what was going on before we had solid information. But, I think we are close enough to the inevitable that I can give you details now. Naruto and Sai are learning as much as they can about the Iwa forces as they prepare for another attack on the Fire country. It seems that the current commander has a grudge against the Yondaime and they have been preparing for war since he became the Tsuchikage's right hand man. It could be a problem if he finds out who Naruto's father is. It's possible you and Hotaru could be in danger, but I truly hope it won't come to that since knowledge of his lineage isn't widely known."

Tsunade let the news sink in a little before continuing.

"Naruto has Sai and Kakashi with him and Shikamaru and I have already started getting our forces ready to send up North. I will be letting our people know this afternoon what is going on. I hope we can avoid a full blown war by stopping this before they cross the border into the grass country. Sakura, I will need you to keep your focus here because I need you to be in charge of any incoming injuries."

"Hai, Tsunade-shiso," Sakura said having collected her emotions by now. Tsunade was still holding the baby who had been fascinated by the Hokage's blonde hair, trying to pull it into his mouth.

"Sakura, may I suggest that you write a note back to Naruto. I'll send it to him the next time he sends a toad with information. I think he would really appreciate a little news from home."

"Thank you, Shiso. I'll bring it by as soon as I can."

Hotaru started to fuss a little bit and the smell was telling Tsunade the reason. She handed the infant back to his mom and Sakura prepared to leave. Tsunade bid them farewell and returned back to the ever present paperwork on her desk. She couldn't wait for this to be all over so at least Naruto could come back and take care of some of these reports for her since that had been part of his punishment for the fire he and Sasuke had started. With a big sigh, Tsunade went back to work.

* * *

Naruto was waiting for his messenger toad to return with news from the Hokage as he sat on a fallen tree deep in Iwa territory. Kakashi and Sai had been preparing explosive notes for their latest trap and Naruto had taken advantage of this small break to send back his report. The little toad appeared in a puff of smoke and croaked his arrival. He had two scrolls strapped to his back and he was glad to be relieved of his load and disappeared after Naruto gave him a snack and sent him on his way. One scroll was a reply from the Hokage, but the second scroll had a seal on it that he recognized immediately as the one only used when Sakura sent him information. He dropped the scroll the Hokage sent and immediately released the seal on the one Sakura had meant for his eyes only. He eagerly unrolled it and saw the familiar handwriting of his lover and best friend.

_Naruto,_

_You have no idea how much that letter meant to me. I have missed you sooo much. It seems like you took the sunshine with you when you left, it rained for an entire week last week. I found your old jacket in the closet when I was cleaning and found myself wearing it for the rest of the day. It has your smell and I guess we never washed it after you took it off that last time. I forgot how many patches I put in it. It seemed like I had to add one after each mission until it got too small for you to wear. _

_Hotaru is getting so big. He has your appetite and his little arms and legs are getting quite pudgy. He's learned how to smile and he smiles all the time. If it wasn't for that smile I would be lost. It is almost like a toothless version of your smile. He loves to play peek-a-boo and he squeals every time I peek out from behind my hands. Ino said he looked so cute the other day when he was in the backpack. She said Hotaru was just watching everything go by with the biggest blue eyes she's ever seen. Well, the second biggest. He hasn't let me put him in his crib for naps yet. I think he misses you two napping together._

_Ayame had her baby, a girl. She looks just like Ayame except for the dark brown hair. Iruka said to tell you 'Hi' from all of them. They said Teuchi misses you coming by and they also said he's made some menma just for you. I think everyone agrees even if they don't say it that Konoha is quiet when you're gone and I don't mean in a good way. _

_Tsunade-shiso told me a little of what is going on finally. I can see why you were so reluctant to say anything before, but that doesn't mean I have been any happier about it. Just come home to me safe. I want to be by your side. If something happens to you and I am not there to take care of you, I don't know what I would do. Baka, why do you always have to go off and leave me behind? _

_I love you so much. You are my everything and I don't know what I would do without you. Kick some butt for me. I love you._

_Shannaro_

"Heh heh, Sakura-chan," he said aloud after he had read the letter.

Naruto read the note several more times before Kakashi came to where the young Toad Sage had been reading his letter. Kakashi knew from Naruto's body language that he must have received a letter from Sakura as he sat there with hands trembling from the adrenaline rush at receiving the message; the scroll open in his lap. Naruto looked up and took a deep breath to collect his thoughts before he rolled up the scroll and put it in the tool pouch on his hip. He picked up the other scroll and handed it to Kakashi who took it from the young man and proceeded to open it. Kakashi looked at his former student who had a goofy smile and faraway look in his eyes.

"I am assuming you haven't read this one yet?"

Naruto sighed and shook his head.

"Sakura send you the other one?" he asked rhetorically.

"Yeah. Sorry," he said finally giving Kakashi eye contact now that he had recovered from the excitement at receiving the letter. "I hadn't expected just a few lines from home to affect me like that. I'm fine. Everything is fine…"

Kakashi decided it was best to just leave the topic of Naruto's letter alone and quickly scanned the other scroll's contents.

"Well, it looks like reinforcements are on their way. We should expect some help within a couple of days and then the real work begins."

The two Jounin looked over the plans sent from the Hokage. Shikamaru would be coming with the bulk of their forces, but Neji and Tenten would be arriving with Naruto and Neji's teams to help with the assault from the rear. They were hoping to pinpoint Rokkaku's location and take the fight directly to him.

* * *

A tall man with long black hair wearing a white gi was followed close behind by a woman with long brunette hair tied back in one long braid down her back and six teenagers as they went at full speed through the tree tops deep in the heart of the Fire country. Neji had his byakugan activated as they raced from tree to tree. He couldn't see any sign of danger, but he wanted to be on the safe side. If this was going to be war, he didn't want any surprises. Tenten no longer complained at her former teammate's high speed as she had worked at increasing her stamina over the last few years with Lee.

Tora was excited to be on his way to join his taicho. He loved a good fight and where his taicho was, there usually was a good fight to be found. Erika was the worrier of their group and though she usually stayed quiet, she had expressed concern at being sent behind enemy lines. Ren was eager to join the fighting, but he knew that he was more than likely going to be busy healing his comrades during the battled.

Neji's team members were seasoned Chuunin who had been fighting alongside the Jounin for several years now. Like Naruto's team there was one medic ninja and one genjutsu user and a ninjutsu specialist. Ever since Tsunade had become Hokage, it was now customary to have a medic ninja on the squad and more and more academy students were learning basic healing thanks to the teachings of Sakura and Ino.

Tenten was watching Neji's back when he suddenly signaled for them to stop. They were near the border with the Grass country and there was always the possibility of running into enemy ninja. The recent peace treaty with the grass country was initially designed to strengthen the northern border, but due to the recent attack, their patrols were stretched thin. A small group of farmers passed below them as they waited to make sure that they were the only ones in the area. Neji couldn't see anything out of the ordinary about the farmers, but he didn't want to take any chances. When the farmers were well down the road, they continued on their way to the border.

It didn't take long to cross the grass country as they ran through the tall grass the country was known for. By the time it was dark, they had reached the border shared by the Earth and Grass countries. The thick bamboo forests that covered much of the southern part of the Earth country provided cover as the small group made its way to the rendezvous point with Naruto, Sai, and Kakashi. Naruto and Sai had sent very detailed information and they were able to easily avoid any enemy patrols and camps. They reached their destination when the moon was at its highest point, making it easy to spot the tall blonde who was watching the horizon for signs of friend or foe.

Naruto heard them approaching and had drawn a kunai out of habit. He lowered it when he saw that it was Neji and Tenten coming towards him fallowed by six Leaf Chuunin.

"You made it," he said as he put his kunai back in the spring loaded holder up his sleeve.

"Good directions. We had no problem finding our way up here," replied Neji as he took a moment to catch his breath.

Naruto led the group to the small camp fire where Kakashi and Sai were sleeping. Kakashi had fallen asleep against a tree and was already waking up at the sound of reinforcements arriving. Sai was in his bed roll, but was soon awake as well. Neji and Tenten joined the rest of the Jounin and they broke away from the camp fire to catch the new comers up on what had been going on since the last message was sent to the Hokage. The six Chuunin sat down around the campfire as they pulled out their water and rested from the long journey. Within moments the Jounin returned from their meeting place and joined the teens around the fire.

"Go ahead and get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow," Kakashi said looking at the Chuunin. The teens went ahead and spread out their bed rolls and turned in. Naruto and Neji resumed the watch together for they had some important information to talk about as well. Kakashi joined the two watchmen when the rest of the group had settled down for what was left of the night.

"So are you ready for tomorrow?" Neji asked Naruto. They were far enough away from the camp fire to be out of ear shot.

"If it's me they want, then it's me they are going to get," replied the determined Toad Sage. They had intercepted a message that the Iwa ninja were planning on targeting Naruto because he was the jinchurikii and the legacy of the Yondaime. They had no idea however that the jinchurikii was already within their borders and waiting to strike at any minute.

"We'll wait for Shikamaru to start the attack before we begin. We don't want to have to face the bulk of their forces if we can avoid it. If we are going to make this quick, we need to separate the head from the body," Kakashi said as he joined Neji and Naruto in their conversation. "All the traps have been set and we've already forced them to use only one bridge for supplies now that the others have been compromised."

Two of the three main bridges were deemed unusable. One collapsed sending a caravan of supplies into a ravine. The other bridge once crossed a bog before it sank stranding the caravan on the far side. The last remaining bridge had timed explosives on it and they were going to destroy this one when the battle began. The supplies were being forced to come at a much slower pace than the Iwa ninja had originally planned and it was slowing up their battle preparations. Sai had also found the message concerning Naruto when his "art work" discovered the scrolls within the wreckage of the ravine.

"So, he is defiantly in the camp just to the east of here. Are you sure your new technique is ready?" Neji asked.

"If I do it in sage mode they will never know what hit them. I'll just need your team to guard my clones while I attack. I'll have my team cover us and take out any ones I miss while you and Kakashi come with me and you'll take care of his personal assistants quickly while I go for Rokkaku personally. With Tenten and Sai in charge of the traps they won't be able to get any reinforcements near his camp. We'll wait at the edge of the camp until we see Shikamaru's signal. Let's hope his arrogance will be his weakness," Naruto said, arms crossed looking dead serious.

Naruto had pulled out a scroll that contained a map Sai had made of the enemy camp. With only the light from the full moon, they worked out the details of their attack. Neji was amazed at the intricate details that Naruto and Sai had gathered over the past month and he mentally laughed at the thought that this was once the village's 'dead last'.

"Better get some sleep too, Neji," Kakashi said as they had finished working out the details of their attack. Kakashi remained with Naruto on watch for the remainder of the night.

Neji walked back to the camp and joined Tenten who was leaning against the tree previously occupied by Kakashi. He sat down next to her and rested his head against hers before falling asleep for the last couple of hours before sunrise.

* * *

A yellow eyed Naruto and Neji with his byakugan activated were waiting high in the bamboo trees as they watched for the signal from Shikamaru. The main bulk of the leaf forces had been fighting the Iwa ninja for two days and they had just moved the last of the Iwa reinforcements from the camp. Rokkaku had been slow in sending his troops forward possibly due to lack of any real battle planning experience. Sai's mice had been transferring information from the battle back to their location. The leaf ninja were holding the Iwa forces behind their lines and there had been many casualties, mostly on the Iwa side of the battle. Far off on the horizon they could see a single eagle in the sky. It was time. The Iwa ninja were fully engaged in battle and they needed Naruto and his team to do their thing.

Naruto signaled to the Chuunin on the ground while he and Neji raced down the length of bamboo to the ground ahead of them falling in step along side Kakashi. They set off like lightning toward the direction of the camp. It was now or never and they had only one shot at this. There were not many guards left in the camp as the advisors were preparing to move closer to the action at the front. Naruto and his team threw their kunai in the direction of every single visible Iwa nin, but didn't hit a single one. These were special kunai marked with seals similar to those used by the Yondaime for his flying thunder god technique. Naruto had come up with his own version of the technique and he disappeared in a flash. Moments later he was back between Neji and Kakashi and the Iwa ninja were seen crumpling to the ground. He had used frog katas to knock them out of the fight for a very long time. Neji, Kakashi and Naruto left Naruto's team to take care of the unconscious ninja and any Naruto may have missed as the three Jounin made their way to the center of the camp.

They stopped in front of the main tent were they believed the leader to still be preparing strategy for the attack. A medium height man with long black hair appeared from the tent opening followed by a large, well scarred ninja with no hair and a tall and shapely kunoichi dressed in a skin tight, deep red kimono with fiery red hair. They assumed that this was Rokkaku Takayori and his two commanders.

"And who, may I ask, are you?" Rokkaku asked in a husky, cold voice. He was busy sizing up the three ninjas in front of him and wasn't pleased with what he saw.

"I thought that since you have me marked as a wanted man, you would at least know what I look like," Naruto said with a smirk.

"The Orange Demon. I'm surprised you have the nerve to come here with the knowledge that my ninja have a kill on sight order for you. I see you brought the famous Sharingan Kakashi and the Hyuuga prodigy with you," he motioned to the two ninja at his side and they leapt toward the Leaf ninja faster than the eye could follow their movements. Neji engaged the scarred man and Kakashi blocked the kunoichi from getting her rather long claws into Naruto leaving him alone with Rokkaku. Naruto shrugged with a smirk at Rokkaku who was removing a long sword from the sheath at his side in preparation for a battle with the Toad Sage.

"Guess she missed," Naruto said with the smirk still on his face.

"Guess so."

The battle raged on between the six ninja. Neji and the scarred man could be seen in a whirl of motion. The scarred man was apparently a very talented earth user and was in the process of trying to smash Neji between boulders with every chance he got. Kakashi was engaged with the kunoichi who was skilled with the metallic claws she wore on her fingers. They were obviously laced with poison and he found himself dodging even her slightest touch. The battle raged on like this for quite some time, but they needed to end this before both Neji and Kakashi ran out of chakra.

Naruto had no intention of drawing out this battle. He wanted to know why this commander had such a grudge on his father, but he knew there was no way this man was going to offer up any information that easily. There were a swarm of sword against kunai hits and counter hits as they stayed mainly in a Taijutsu battle. They sized each other up and both found a formidable foe. Naruto was thankful he had experience fighting Sasuke's sword. This man was skilled, but not nearly as skilled as his brother.

Naruto decided that he had had enough as this man obviously had enough stamina to go on like this for a long time. He sensed that Kakashi needed some help and Naruto allowed the man to stab him in the right shoulder as he formed his signature hand sign to call forth a clone. Being in sage mode meant that he didn't feel any pain and he proceeded to form a rasengan. Kakashi had been forced to use his sharingan too long and had just about run out of chakra against the rather feisty kunoichi and Naruto had sent the clone to get rid of her before she got her claws in his sensei.

With the sword still in his shoulder he sent a rush of wind chakra through its length to the hand of its owner forcing the man to let go in a scream of pain. His opponent fell to the ground as he held his bleeding right hand in pain. Naruto slowly pulled out the sword in his shoulder and broke it in half over his knee; blood running profusely down his arm.

"Hakke Rokujuuyonshou!" could be heard over the crashing of boulders behind Naruto. Neji was preparing for his final attack when the man called forth a gaping rock mouth that caught Neji's left leg. He let out a cry of pain but managed to stay standing. He blasted the rock off of his leg with a burst of chakra then proceeded in his final attack hitting him with all 64 strikes before the man even knew what happened. Neji collapsed at the same moment his opponent fell. His leg was crushed, but he had managed to stand long enough to complete the jutsu.

Ren and Erika saw what had happened and ran in to carry Neji from the battle field. He was pulled to safety where they watched as Naruto stood over the man behind their war with Iwa.

Rokkaku looked up with utter hatred at the man standing over him. He would not be defeated this easily. He attempted to gather chakra for a last ditch effort of a jutsu when Naruto gave him a simple natural energy laced punch to the face knocking him to the ground. The fight was over.

* * *

Rokkaku awoke to find himself tied and in his own tent. His chakra had been sealed and a bandaged Naruto was sitting across from him staring at the man with blue eyes. Naruto got up from the chair he had been sitting on and moved it in order to sit directly in front of the man tied in front of him on the ground.

"Tell me, what do you have against the Yondaime that is so important to take on an entire nation?" Naruto asked as his blue eyes blazed enough that Rokkaku could see a hint of red in them.

"The reason is simple enough. He killed my father in the Third Great Shinobi War. I was only 14 and still a genin. After we lost the war, our country was thrown into economic and political chaos. My mother committed suicide, leaving me to take care of my sister and little brother. You can't possibly understand the pain that I went through all those years."

"You'd be surprised," Naruto said to the bewilderment of his opponent. He looked at Naruto with a confused expression, but continued his story.

"Our country finally turned itself around and we were once again able to compete with the power of the Fire country. I vowed to pay back the Hidden Leaf once I was strong enough. No one could keep up with me as I made my way through the ranks to the position I hold today. You will regret having beaten me today. I will repay you tenfold!"

Naruto stood up and took a deep breath before responding. He seemed to be choosing his words very carefully before he responded to this man. He was looking at the battle plans laid out on the table next to him before he began.

"Someone once told me that you can't understand someone until you understand their pain." Rokkaku still gave Naruto a quizzical look. He was angry at Naruto and himself for the outcome of the battle, but he wanted to know where this young man was going with his thoughts. "You lost your father in battle; I lost mine to the monster sealed inside of me. I never knew him, but I still feel the loss. My best friend betrayed our village in a quest for power and I almost lost my life several times in an attempt to save him from himself. I lost my adopted grandfather to the very man that said those words to me all those years ago. I think I know a little about pain."

Naruto turned to look Rokkaku in the eye before he continued with his attempt to bring understanding between them. Rokkaku could have sworn he saw pity in those deep blue eyes staring at him.

"The very thing you want to end with revenge would only have resulted in a vicious cycle of hate. My father killed your father; you sought to kill me. Do you think this would have ended with us? Would you have brought revenge upon your own family when my son is old enough to seek out your son?" Naruto said as the fire returned to his eyes.

"Your father?" said a confused Iwa ninja.

"Even though you thought you were only targeting the legacy of the Yondaime, you were really targeting me, his son. See, even demons have a beginning," he said with a pain filled smirk.

"He sealed the monster inside his own son?" Rokkaku said under his breath. "Then I will kill you if even to save everyone from the monster inside you!"

"You obviously don't get it. My father saved our village by sacrificing himself and imprisoning the monster fox, stopping the death and destruction. Your father's death wasn't personal, it was part of war. War brings death and doesn't spare anyone. Right now, your own people are mourning the death of the ninja you sent to war. Some of them may see you as a great leader, but many may see _you_ as the monster. It doesn't matter if you win or lose the war; you still lose those you were supposed to protect as their leader." Naruto said this as he went to pick up a paper from the table.

"There is only one way you can end this without bringing shame to you and your country. I'm offering a peace treaty and I hope you accept it so that this cycle of revenge can stop," he said as he held out a pen to the man.

Rokkaku found that his hands had been untied by the clone who had been sitting behind him hidden in the shadows the whole time. He reached forward for the pen and scanned the document offered to him. It was an offering of peace, no alignment. More like a simple cease fire agreement. The Iwa ninja stay on their side of the border and keep their regular clients while the Konoha ninja do the same. There had never been any intent for the Fire country to take over the region, just bring stability. Rokkaku took a deep breath and signed the document, ending the war.

* * *

"Sakura, why don't you go home and get some sleep." Shizune was standing behind her as Sakura brought her head up off her arms where she had fallen asleep on her desk. "We've got everything under control here."

Sakura had gone into her office to try and gather her thoughts when the activity had finally calmed down after the last wave of injured had been taken care of after they returned home from the front lines. They had medics behind the front lines, but their job was to stabilize the injuries until they could be brought back to the village for more intensive treatment. Sakura hadn't even realized that she had fallen asleep; she had been in such a daze. Once they started to bring in the injured that had been transported away from the battle during the first few days, Sakura and the rest of her team had been working nonstop, only taking short breaks to go home and sleep between transports. There had been many degrees of injuries and there had been loss of life. The long reach of war touched them here even being away from the battle. Sakura only then realized how fortunate they had all been in the relative peace their generation had grown up with. Nothing, not even being a medical ninja, could prepare her for the sights she was witnessing. It was like the attack by Pain all over again, but this time no one was going to come back to life.

"I'm sorry Shizune. Hotaru must be picking up on the atmosphere around here. He's been waking up on the hour every night and I haven't been able to get much sleep since they started bringing in the injured."

"That's OK. Go on home and I'll send for you if we get another group returning from the battle."

"Thanks, Shizune. Tell Tsunade I'll be at my parent's house tonight. My mom offered to watch Hotaru so that I could get some sleep tonight, well at least if he didn't need to eat," she said with a week smile as she turned to get up. She put her stained doctor's coat on its hook before she left to pick up Hotaru at the nursery.

She could see that the nursery worker was having a hard time calming Hotaru down when she arrived. It was getting close to meal time and Sakura was glad Shizune woke her up when she did. The teen looked relieved to see Sakura and was eager to get Hotaru's belongings together so that Sakura could take him home. Sakura recognized the girl as one of Shikamaru's genin. 'They must be rotating the genin through the nursery since we've gone to 24 hour days here,' Sakura thought as she gave the girl an encouraging smile. She knew full well how demanding Hotaru could get when he was hungry, much like his father.

Hotaru calmed down as soon as he was in his mother's arms, but there were still tears in his big blue eyes as he hicked a few times.

"Thank you so much for putting up with him," Sakura said to the teen.

"Until the last fifteen minutes he's been such a happy little baby it's wasn't a problem. I was about to send for you when you came. Is he hungry?" the teen said as she handed Sakura his diaper bag.

"Probably. Will we see you tomorrow?"

"They have me assigned here until further notice. I don't mind, but I'd rather be with Shikamaru-sensei and my team. I feel so useless here," she said as she looked down at her hands.

"I know the feeling, but you are doing more than you realize." Sakura gave the girl a smile and turned to go. She made a mental note to talk to Shikamaru when he got back. The girl reminded her so much of her former self that she was curious as to what this girls talents could be.

Sakura turned the corner and was on her way to the door when she saw a tall figure all in black looking rather awkward in the waiting room. She wondered what would bring Sasuke here at this hour. He hated the hospital and didn't appear to be injured. She adjusted Hotaru on her shoulder and walked up to her brooding teammate.

Sasuke didn't seem to notice her as she walked up to him, but she knew he could sense her. Nothing ever seemed to get past his detection, even if he didn't acknowledge it with his body language.

"What brings you here, Sasuke?" she asked when she was close enough to talk. He still seemed rather uncomfortable as he turned to acknowledge her presence next to him.

"I came to walk you home."

"Me? I can take care of myself you know," she said while giving him a quizzical look.

"I know, but that overprotective husband of yours made me promise to at least keep an eye on you while he was gone."

"Figures," Sakura said while shaking her head. "Well, you might as well be useful. Here." Sakura handed him the diaper bag before she turned to leave. He looked rather relieved to get out of there as he relaxed his hold on the handle of the bag on his shoulder as soon as they walked through the double doors of the hospital.

"I'm staying at my parent's house tonight, but I need to stop by the apartment. You can tell Naruto you kept your promise once you drop me off at home." She could see he was deep in thought out of the corner of her eye as he only grunted in response.

They walked down the street a while in silence. Sakura was too tired to carry on an almost one sided conversation and she didn't really know what to say to her introverted friend tonight. She was a little curious about her husband's request and finally worked up the courage to ask about it.

"I haven't seen you around much in the past month. When did Naruto make you promise to watch over me?"

"Before he left. He made me promise to keep an eye on you if his mission turned into something more," he answered.

"Do you miss not being a part of the action?"

"Some."

"Sasuke, don't shut me out. I know something is bothering you."

Sasuke kept his eyes fixed before him, but he seemed tense like he was thinking whether or not to let her into his confidence. He shifted the bag on his shoulder so that he could shove his hands deep into his pockets before he began.

"Sakura, did you ever stop to think that maybe Naruto was able to bring me back because I am tired. I'm _tired_ Sakura. I only sleep a few hours a night because every time I close my eyes all I see are images of things that I want to forget. It may not look like it, but I jump at every sound and I'm secretly glad I can't leave the village. I felt desensitized in my quest for revenge, while I was with Orochimaru and Akatsuki. But, I've learned the hard way that my heart was not as immune as I had hoped it was."

Sakura was shocked at what she was hearing. He had been home for more than a year, but she hadn't realized how much he was still going through. She knew a little about his family's massacre and Orochimaru's methods, but she also knew that unless she had been there she could offer only sympathy for her friend.

"Have you spoken to Tsunade-sama about this?" Sakura knew Tsunade understood these things better than she could; having been teammates with Orochimaru and having lost many friends to war. Sakura had seen ninja return from battle with no visible wounds, but they would have unexplained symptoms. Some people didn't deal well with the shinobi life as well as others, why would Sasuke be any different?

"I've been going to 'counseling' sessions with Yamanaka Inoichi. It's also one of the reasons they won't let me go on mission yet until I've been cleared as mentally stable."

"Just remember that Naruto and I are here for you. He understands you better than I ever could. I may not understand, but I'll definitely listen. Well, we're here," she said as she pulled out her key to unlock the door. "Thanks Sasuke, I'll take it from here. Don't be such a stranger. I want see you even without my husband making you promise to watch over me."

Sakura gave him a pat on the arm and entered her apartment. She missed Naruto as it was, but not having him around to talk to was apparently not only hard on her. Once she had fed and changed Hotaru, she proceeded to gather what she needed to take to her parent's house for the night. She didn't know what she would do if this little man wasn't here with her. Maybe it was fate that had kept her away from the action when it did. There were people here that needed her too.


	8. Tadaima

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: rao hyuga 18 and uzumakisunspyder. I love hearing from you as always ;). Thanks to everyone else who tagged this story as well. I hope you enjoy so please read and review. Also, if your confused about the title, pay attention. Especially to this and future chapters. It refers to more than one father and it's up to us if we follow in our "Father's Shoes" or not.

Would have had this one loaded up sooner, and for those of you who haven't read ANBU yet, my computer decided not to talk to FF for the past week. All fixed now and I hope that it stays that way.

Gomen about some of my spelling errors. I can't believe I have been spelling Naruto's last name wrong (hits head on desk). I promise to pay more attention in the future.

Tadaima: I'm home

**All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Rokkaku Takayori belongs to the history of Japan.**** The Story is all mine.**

Chapter 8: Tadaima

A week had passed since the peace treaty was signed and their ninja had been slowly returning to the village in small groups, depending on rank and severity of injuries. The Jounin had stayed until the very end to ensure that the peace treaty was honored and that all their ninja made it on their way home safely. Their meeting with the Tsuchikage had been interesting to say the least. The cantankerous old man had not been very enthusiastic to meet with the young men that had led the Leaf shinobi to victory, but in the end he concluded that the cease fire agreement that Rokkaku had signed was in the best interest of his country, for the moment.

As the final group returned home, they were spotted by the ANBU patrol that quickly sent word back to the village that the last of their heroes were on their way home. The last group, which included Naruto and many of their close friends, arrived to find a large crowd gathered in their honor. Both sides of the gate were lined with villagers as they waited in anticipation for them to come into view. Sakura was near the main gate as they arrived, Hotaru in a carrier on her back. He was almost two months old and holding his head up rather well. His blue eyes were big as he looked on with interest at all the activity around him.

Sakura was standing next to Temari and Hinata who were at the front of the crowd impatiently waiting, and waiting…She caught sight of them coming toward the main gate and could barely contain her excitement. If it wasn't for the infant on her back she would have run out to meet them. She could see that Naruto was walking with Neji supported between him and Tenten. Neji's injury was stable but he was unable to walk without assistance, but had refused to be carried. Many of the other members of their class were injured, but they were home safe and that was all that mattered. Sakura finally gave into her urge, but remained at a brisk walk as she went out to greet them.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said, choking back the emotion as he watched her walk towards him.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Naruto. Go to her. I've got Neji," Tenten said and motioned for him to go to the pink haired kunoichi.

Neji could see Tenten wink at him out of the corner of his eye as he shifted his weight fully onto her capable shoulders. Before Neji even realized Naruto was no longer standing next to him, he had Sakura in his arms.

"Tadaima," he said as he held her with one arm around her waist and pushed her hair out of her face with his free hand.

"Baka, what have you been up to?" she said in a tone that would normally have him expecting a beating. He could see the tears in her eyes when she looked up into his deep blues.

He decided not to answer and gave her a kiss full on the lips instead. This was the hero's welcome that he had imagined, but had not believed possible until he saw her on the road. Hotaru started to fuss at all this commotion and Naruto released Sakura in order to look at his son. He had indeed been eating well and had grown into a pudgy little baby instead of the skinny newborn he had left behind.

"Can I?" he asked obviously wanting to take the baby out of the carrier in order to hold him. He proceeded to open up the little back pack with a little direction from Sakura.

"Hey, baby. Did you miss me?" he said as he held his little one. His eyes were starting to tear as he looked at the little boy with red hair and blue eyes. They watched as the baby just hicked a couple times as he stopped his fussing and inspected this face that seemed familiar. Sakura laughed as the baby tried to grab at Naruto's hitai-ate with his pudgy little fingers. She hadn't seen that smile of Naruto's in too long and it lit up her world at that moment. Sakura then wrapped her arms around her husband and child. He was home and that was all that mattered. Naruto shifted the baby so that he could hold him in one arm and put his other around the shoulders of his wife.

The rest of the returning ninja joined them and they all proceeded to walk toward the village where the rest of their loved ones were gathered. A hero's welcome awaited them and that included a trip to the hospital in order to treat the various wounds they were sporting. Tsunade moved to the front of the crowd to greet them. She was relieved that it was over and though it had cost them lives, she was grateful that her shinobi were home and that the threat was gone. Her two captains walked toward her, Sakura still by Naruto's side and Temari had, by this time, joined Shikamaru.

"Naruto, Shikamaru, job well done."

"Thank you Tsunade-sama," replied Shikamaru as he held Temari and his son in his arms.

"Thanks, Tsunade-baachan," Naruto said with a huge grin plastered to his face.

"I want to thank you two for a job well done. I also want to know how you managed to change his mind so quickly, Naruto," she said with her usual stern voice but with a hint of smile in it.

"You can thank Shikamaru for the brilliant battle plan. I just followed my gut like always," Naruto replied.

"From what I hear your quick thinking during the fight was what saved us from having to go into a who-knows-how-long of a war. For right now, I want you all to check into the hospital and take care of those injuries before you start celebrating."

"Hai, Tsunade-baachan. We are just happy to be home," Naruto said as he looked down at his little family.

They were soon surrounded by the crowd as they walked through the main gate into Konoha.

Later on, Sakura was patching up the wound on Naruto's right shoulder as he had the baby laying on his knees facing up at him as he sat on the edge of the hospital bed. Most of his injuries were healing quickly like always, but Sakura wouldn't take no for an answer when she told him that his shoulder needed medical attention. She hated being left behind so this was the only thing she could do for him and she wouldn't be denied.

Tsunade was making her rounds to everyone who had just returned from the battle with Iwa. Neji was sent straight to the operating room to repair the damage to his leg. The earth user that he had battled had almost completely crushed the lower half of his left leg, so they needed to get it repaired right away. Kakashi had used his sharingan too much once again and would be resting in the hospital for at least a couple of weeks. Both Guy and Lee had opened several gates and needed rest more than anything. Most everyone else had minor puncture wounds and scrapes that go along with any battle, but they all were going to get as much rest as the ninja world could possibly allow them to have.

Knocking on the door frame, Tsunade entered the room Sakura and Naruto were in. She was glad to see the little family reunited. These two had become like her own children and it warmed her heart to see them back together again.

"Tsunade-baachan," Naruto said raising his head at the sound of her entering the room.

"Hello Naruto," she said with a smile, "and hello little Hotaru. May I?" she asked referring to wanting to pick up the infant. Naruto reluctantly gave him up, but figured it was better to let the Hokage have her grandma moment.

"What a big boy you are, yes you are," she said in a higher pitched voice. Naruto and Sakura just smiled at the normally strong woman as she talked in such a silly tone. She was even making little faces at the infant in an attempt to get him to smile and Naruto finally gave in to his urge to burst out laughing. His laughter didn't last very long as his injuries reminded him of their existence and he winced in pain.

"How is he, Sakura? Will your patient live?" the Hokage asked in a less than serious tone.

"Nothing the Kyuubi won't have completely healed in a couple of days," Sakura replied. She finished bandaging him up then proceeded to help him get into a clean shirt that she had grabbed from home.

"I suppose you want to have my report on your desk as soon as possible," Naruto said dreading the pending paperwork.

"I would very much like your version of what happened. My reports from Shikamaru were accurate, but we got mostly rumors here at the hospital saying that you won the battle single-handedly. Not that I don't think it could be possible having seen you in action, but if you're going to turn into a legend like you father, I at least want to start it off with some truth," she said with a smile as she looked at the little baby. "Little one, you have some impressive shoes to fill, yes you do," she said returning to the baby talk voice she used earlier.

* * *

Naruto sat on the floor next to the baby blanket where his son was squirming on his back. He could hear Sakura making something in the kitchen for dinner. His stomach was rumbling, but he just had to ignore it until she was done. Hotaru had his eyes fixed on the bright yellow that was his father's hair, kicking his little feet in excitement.

"Ne Sakura-chan, this is almost like watching Bushy Brows in one of his workouts," he called back to the kitchen. Hotaru just cooed and started kicking faster at the attention, a great big toothless smile was on his face and it was returned by a smile just as big. It felt good to be home.

Sakura brought out several bowls from the kitchen filled with various side dishes; setting them on the table. She hated cooking for just one and she was excited to finally have someone here to share meals with. "Dinner's ready," she announced.

Naruto scooped up a smiling baby and placed him in the bouncy seat that was sitting on the table. He could tell Sakura had this down to an art form by the way she methodically went from the kitchen to fetch the rest of dinner to getting Hotaru the toys that attached to the seat plus a pacifier to keep him occupied during dinner. He thought it was cute how hard she had worked on dinner. It showed him how much she had missed him and it didn't matter how hungry he really was, she was going to pull out all the stops tonight. He sat down and watched with amusement and a goofy smile that didn't escape his wife's notice. She gave him a quizzical look with one raised eyebrow as she returned with the rice and tuna teriyaki.

"What are you looking at with that dumb expression on your face?" she chuckled.

"You," he said simply.

"Me? Why is there something else you want U-zu-ma-ki Na-ru-to?" the pinkette said as she leaned in close to his ear as she whispered his name, the words drenched in innuendo. Boy, did it feel good to flirt with her husband and Sakura couldn't resist it when he looked just so damn sexy with that dumb look on his face and desire for her in his eyes. She set the food on the table before removing her mouth from next to his ear, lightly brushing her cheek against his as she did so.

"Uh-huh," he barely got out with a crack in his voice. Apparently she wasn't the only one that had pent up urges.

"Don't tell me you're taking lessons from Sasuke in language," she teased as she slowly moved her fingers across his chest. "I was hoping to have a more than one word conversation tonight."

"Really?" he said with his voice still not in control quite yet. How did she do that to him so quickly?

"Never mind," she laughed at him as she returned her attention to dinner preparations in the kitchen.

Hotaru launched his pacifier at his dad, breaking his train of thought as it hit him in the head; which was on its way to a very dangerous train wreck. Naruto picked it up and walked to the kitchen to clean it off. He walked up behind Sakura, snaking his arms around her waist. She leaned into him as she wiped her hands off on a towel.

"Dinners going to get cold if we don't eat," she said as she attempted to push both of them further away from the counter.

"Not hungry for food," he said, but his grumbling stomach begged to differ. Naruto began to nibble on her neck.

"I know you. If you don't get something into that stomach of yours soon, you won't be able to focus on anything else," and she did mean anything. Sakura wondered how Choji ever managed to get anything done. OK, that was a mental picture she didn't need at that moment. "What's that in your hand?"

"Oops. Hotaru's pacifier. I got distracted on my way to clean it off," Naruto said as he reluctantly let go of her waist and proceeded to clean off the pacifier. He could hear his son's demands from the table as the baby started to miss his pacifier. Sakura made her escape and sat down at the table. She needed to calm herself down if she was going to make it past Hotaru's bedtime. You never know how much you really miss something until you get it back, her Naruto was no exception. Naruto was not far behind as he returned, putting the pacifier in the baby's mouth before sitting in his own seat. This was going to be a very long evening for him indeed.

Over dinner, Naruto related the events of the last two months to Sakura. His favorite part was the letter he had received from her, of course. She also filled him in on some of the things he had missed while away from the village. Naruto was indeed hungry and it didn't take long for them to eat dinner. It was soon Hotaru's turn for dinner. As Sakura went to feed their son, Naruto volunteered to do dishes. He figured the sooner they were ready for the after the kid went to bed activities, the better.

After the dishes were washed, it was time for Hotaru's bath. Naruto watched as Sakura held the squirming baby in his small tub. He seemed to enjoy splashing the water with both his feet and chubby fists, blue eyes big with wonder. Sakura handed the slippery little baby over to his father who was ready with a soft warm towel. Soon they had him in his jammies. Soon Hotaru was fast asleep in his little crib, leaving his parents time to themselves.

Naruto pulled his wife into the living room where he had her sit on the floor in front of him. He began to work the knots out of neck that had been building for the past couple of months. She relaxed under his touch and moaned as he nimble fingers worked out the tension in her muscles.

"Uhmmm, that feels incredible," Sakura moaned.

"After all you've been through the last couple of months, you deserve it," Naruto replied, his words full of the love he felt for her.

"Oh, and you've been sitting on your hands the past two months?" she teased.

"You know what I mean. I hated not being here with you and the baby. I love you two too much," he replied.

"I love you too."

He continued to work on her shoulders and neck until he felt her muscles finally become soft and pliable. Naruto continued down her back and arms, sending chills through Sakura's body as he did so. She even shivered a couple of times as he worked on her back.

"Naruto, after that I think I owe you a massage," Sakura said as she motioned for him to trade places with her.

Sakura sat cross legged on the couch behind him as he sat on the floor in front of her. She was careful of his injured shoulder as she pulsated healing chakra into his tight muscles while she kneaded. Naruto leaned back into her legs, resting his head in her lap as she worked. She didn't get much past his shoulders as his lips just looked too tempting. Sakura leaned forward, kissing him passionately. Once they came up for air, the blonde moved onto the couch beside her and leaned into her frame for another round of passionate kissing. Their bodies had hungered for each others touch for far too long and they were not going to deny their desires tonight.

They never even made it to the bedroom.

* * *

"I think I'll finally be able to sleep tonight," she said as she finished toweling off her pink hair wearing only a towel.

"Didn't Hotaru let you sleep while I was gone?" the blonde asked. Naruto was sprawled out on the bed in just his boxer shorts. It felt so good to be in a bed again. His shoulder still had a bandage on it as a reminder of the war. He wondered if the wind chakra he used through that wound would leave a scar like the one Sasuke gave him.

"He was only part of it. I just had the worst time sleeping without knowing where you were or what you were doing. I would stay up late just hoping that my body would eventually shut down, but even when I went to bed my mind refused to turn off," the pink haired kunoichi replied. Sakura turned to go back to the bathroom so that she could finish getting ready for bed. Thinking the conversation was over; Naruto rolled onto his left side and closed his eyes, being careful to position his shoulder so that it wouldn't ache while he slept.

"Well, I'm here now. We can finally sleep together," he mumbled as his mind began to shut down. 'Man, I forgot how good a bed feels…'

Sakura returned to the room now ready for bed, dressed in a tank top and baggy pink pajama pants. She crawled into bed and snuggled up to Naruto's back. They lay there in silence for a while, just enjoying the moment.

"Naruto, did you know Sasuke wasn't sleeping?" Sakura said, breaking the silence.

"Mhmm," he mumbled in affirmation. With his back towards her, Sakura couldn't see if his eyes were still open or not. He rolled over onto his back in order to face her and she traced the lines of his muscles with her fingers as he spoke. "Tsunade told me it was probably his mind trying to deal with everything he's been through. There isn't much we can really do other than just be here for him. Sasuke's strong. He's a survivor. These are his demons that he has to deal with. I can't beat sense into him. I've tried several times and the most recent time only served to bring him back to us."

"I know all that, but…I feel like I want to do more."

"Sakura, we are doing all we can for him. It's just a matter of time."

Naruto cupped her cheek in his hand and stroked it with his thumb as his fingers played with her hair. He was doing all in his power to help ease her frustration. "Come here," her husband said. He pulled her to himself and he could feel her tears begin to fall on his neck and shoulder. "Sakura-chan, you are strong, but don't try to be strong for all of us. Your desire to help others is one of the many things I love about you."

"I guess I'm starting to understand a little bit better about what Chiyo-baa was talking about all those years ago," she said as she put her free arm around him. "I've missed you so."

"I'm here now, no matter what happens, and we have Hotaru. We are at peace for the time being. These past couple of months have been hard on all of us. Let's just focus on loving each other and let the rest take care of itself for a time" the blonde said as he kissed her forehead.

"Naruto, when did you get to be smarter than me?"

"No one is smarter than my little Sakura no hana(cherry blossom), I just learned all this the hard way."

She giggled at his nickname for her. Soon they were sleeping peacefully in each other's arms.

* * *

Naruto awoke to the sound of a baby crying. He threw his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up, eyes still half closed as he tried to orient himself. He turned to see that Sakura was gone; already up and tending to their son. He scratched his head and stumbled toward the living room. He could hear Sakura humming softly to the baby as she nursed him. She was sitting on the couch with the infant in her arms, eyes shut and steadily rocking to the melody she was humming. Her two months of practice at this were apparent as Naruto watched them from the doorway of their bedroom. He was mesmerized by the scene before him. She had matured as a mother even in the short time he had been away.

He decided to join her on the couch after a few moments. She was still humming softly and the baby looked like he had fallen asleep even though he was still nursing.

"You're amazing, Sakura-chan," he whispered as he took a seat next to her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Just the way you are with Hotaru. Just a reminder of why I felt so alone out there without you. Watching you here, I'm falling in love with you all over again."

"Oh Naruto, you have no idea how much I missed you."

Tears began to pool in her eyes when he had said that. Her urge to cling to him had to be denied a moment longer. Sakura finished nursing Hotaru and took him back to his crib as he was now sound asleep. Returning to the living room, she found Naruto watching her from the couch. She could see his blue eyes reflecting the moonlight almost like beacons in the night. Walking over to the couch she took his hand and pulled him up into a strong embrace. They stayed that way for a moment before returning to their bedroom.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura were sitting at the kitchen table, just finishing up lunch when they heard a knock at the door. Sakura got up and opened the door to find Sasuke, complete with katana, looking like he was anxious about something.

"Sasuke, come one in. What brings you here?" Sakura said stepping to the side to allow the Uchiha to enter.

"I've come to steal your husband. Is he here?"

"In here, teme," Naruto called from the kitchen.

"Are you ready?" Sasuke asked as coolly as ever.

"Almost done. You in a hurry or something?" Naruto asked as he got up to put his dishes in the sink.

Hotaru was sitting in his bouncy seat on the table and his dad made a funny face as he passed causing the infant to break out in a great big smile.

"I just don't like to leave things unfinished," stated Sasuke.

"If you two are doing what I think you're doing," Sakura started as she gave the two men a look, "behave yourselves. And Sasuke, if I have to repair Naruto's shoulder later I'm personally coming after you."

"Understood. Come on dobe," Sasuke said turning to leave.

"I'll be back soon. This won't take long," Naruto said as he could feel the glare coming from Sasuke's direction. Naruto gave Sakura a quick kiss before he grabbed his gear and followed his brother out the door.

Once they made it to the training grounds, Naruto stopped and took a deep breath before testing his injured shoulder and cracking his neck to work out any kinks.

"How's the shoulder?" Sasuke asked bluntly.

"Not bad, although it could have been a lot worse if I hadn't been in sage mode. I think it may be the last time I steel an idea from you though. Sakura and Tsunade both gave me lectures about how I'm not supposed to shoot chakra out of an open wound, sword or no sword."

"I'm not surprised. I don't think wind and lightning chakra were meant to be used in the same way," Sasuke said as he got into a fighting stance. "You ready?"

"I'm always ready to kick your butt," Naruto said with a smirk as he got into a fighting stance of his own.

"It's good to have you back, dobe."

"It's good to be back, teme," Naruto replied right before they raced toward each other.


	9. The Return of Team 7

As always, love my reviews from rao hyuga 18 and uzumakisunspyder. Thanks to everyone else who tagged this story as well. I hope you enjoy so please read and review.

I haven't decided yet if I'm going to go back and fix errors in earlier chapters. That may be a project for after the story is completely posted, so I'll apologize for any errors in all previous chapters. PM me if you see anything I may have missed.

**All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The story is all mine and it is fun to mess with characters that are no longer an active part of the Manga.**** Shogi game belongs to Rama-chan on Deviant Art.  
**

**Chapter 9: The Return of Team 7**

_(Time skip)_

Sakura leapt from tree to tree following close behind Temari and Hinata. They had started training together while the boys were on the front lines and it was good for them to get a workout. They each had a toddler in a backpack style carrier and the kids didn't seem to mind going at a high rate of speed through the trees. They never went faster than the kids could tolerate and they stuck to some pretty easy trails through the trees around Konoha just to be on the safe side. Sakura worked part time at the hospital still and she wasn't so out of shape that she couldn't go on a mission if the Hokage needed her to. It had been a little over a year since Hotaru was born, but no one had prepared her for how hard it would be to come back from childbirth and train. It was one of those situations in which she envied Naruto.

Temari gave the signal to stop and the three kunoichi halted on a high branch not far from the main gate. Temari had spotted Shikamaru's genin team below them; they apparently had a mission to catch the Daimyo's wife's cat again.

'Would that cat ever give up?' Sakura thought to herself.

Temari dropped down silently behind her husband. Sakura and Hinata stifled giggles as they watched their friend below them. Temari put a kunai to his back, but a "Dada" from the toddler on her back gave her away.

"Move and you're a dead man," she said trying not to act like her son's babble was affecting her inwardly.

"Troublesome woman," he said, but he had a half smile on his face. Shikamaru already had her in a shadow mimic hold and had started to make her put her kunai away. She was in trouble now, but he could only do so much while he monitored his students over the two way radio. "I'll let you go if you promise to play me in a game of shogi tonight."

Temari knew full well what kind of game he wanted to play and it wasn't his usual game of shogi he played against his dad. "Fine, but you have to put Toshi to bed."

"Troublesome woman," was all he said as he released her from the jutsu. She gave him a peck on the cheek and returned to the trees where her friends waited for her return.

Sakura and Hinata decided they had just about seen enough when she appeared next to them.

"Do I really want to know what that was about?" Sakura asked her friend.

"Just my way of getting out of putting Toshi to bed tonight so that I could get a few moments to myself. For being so good at strategy, he sure is easy to manipulate," she said with a smirk on her lips. "Let's go."

"I'm glad you are on our side," said the pink haired kunoichi as they continued their run through the tree tops.

"Why?"

"Because you can outsmart Shikamaru. You do realize that your marriage affects our alliance with Suna more than anything right?"

"You can thank your husband for the alliance. I just get all the benefits," she said with a wink.

"I don't really want to know," Sakura said with a shake of her head. "Well, ladies, it's been fun but I've still got some errands to run. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us for some dango?" asked the white eyed Inuzuka.

"I promised Tsunade I'd stop by the hospital afterwards, otherwise I'd love to. Ja na," Sakura said before she jumped down to the road that led to the main gate.

"I swear, I think those two are as bad as rabbits," Temari said watching Sakura's back as she entered the main gate.

"Do you think Naruto-kun knows yet?" asked Hinata.

"I Doubt it."

* * *

"I just got a message from her this morning. She specifically requested you three," the Sannin said as they walked through the halls of the Hokage tower.

The Hokage walked in step with Sakura with Hotaru swinging in between them. His pudgy little hands held on tight as he'd kick up his feet letting them know he wanted swung. He was in a spring green jump suit (not a Rock Lee green mind you) that had a little orange toad on the tummy. The green of the outfit really set off his bright red locks that were just starting to cover the tops of his ears. A great big smile was plastered to his face as he swung between two of his favorite people.

"But I've never been away from Hotaru more than one night since the war. I…I…," Sakura stuttered as the words caught in her throat.

"And you haven't told him yet?" asked the Hokage with a sideways glance.

"No…I'm not sure if he'll let me go if I tell him." She had a mixture of emotions going through her mind as she thought of her husband's possible reaction to her news. She also wanted to stay with Hotaru, but just the thought of getting out of the village if even for a little while was very tempting. Especially if it meant it was the long awaited mission of the now whole team 7.

"It's a C-class mission. I'm sure the boys will complain, but that is the highest rank I can give Sasuke for now. The council still doesn't trust him. I'm sure you'll be just fine in your condition."

"And what condition is that Tsunade-baachan?" the tall blonde said from behind him. Hotaru freed himself from their grasp as he ran as fast as his pudgy legs could carry him to the arms of his father. Both women spun around startled. How long had he been there?

"You should know better than to spy on a woman's conversation, Uzumaki!" Sakura hated the fact that he was good enough at masking his chakra that he could sneak up on even the Hokage.

"Bari, bari," he said laughing as he scooped up his son. "It was just an interesting conversation, I couldn't help myself. Besides, what is your condition Sakura?"

"That I've completely lost my _mind_ for being with a baka like you!" she snapped back.

"Forget I even asked," he cringed not wanting to find out if it meant that she could hurt him if he ever put down his son. Would it make him a terrible dad if he used his own kid as a shield against her? "So what's this I hear about a mission?"

"I'll tell the three of you more of the details when you meet me in my office at 7am sharp. Sakura, I'll leave you to him," and with that Tsunade turned down the hall heading to her next meeting.

"'The three of' us? Does she mean…," he said wide eyed as he started to realize who the third person could be.

"Yes, she is sending _team 7_ on a mission," his wife answered still acting mad at him, but inner Sakura was jumping up and down like she was 12 years old again.

He got a great big smile on his face and let out a whoop, before he realized something that made him turn to look at her. "What are we going to do about a sitter?"

"I'll talk to my parents. I'm sure mom would love to watch him while we're gone," Sakura said, but she had her doubts about leaving her baby for that long. This thought made her sigh as she looked at the toddler in his father's arms. Her heart filled up so quickly with emotion at that point that she couldn't help but give her toddler a kiss on the cheek. 'This better be worth it…,' she thought as memories of Sasori's story flashed briefly though her mind. 'What am I thinking? Naruto refuses to die before he becomes Hokage. We'll be fine,' she thought trying to shake these doubts from her mind.

* * *

"Enter!"

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto entered to find the Hokage at her desk with her elbows resting comfortably on it; fingers laced together in front of her mouth. Shizune stood at her usual place near the Hokage holding Tonton. To their surprise, Kakashi was also there for the meeting.

"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked.

"And miss seeing you go out on your first mission together in over 9 years?" he said with a smile behind his mask.

"Don't tell me you're going too?" Naruto whined reminding everyone of his younger days.

"You don't sound like you want me along, Naruto," said Kakashi feigning hurt in his voice as he spoke, putting his hand on his heart like he was wounded.

"It's not that. I just didn't think we needed this many Jounin for a C-class mission," Naruto interjected.

"Naruto, calm down before I'm forced to hit you," Sakura whispered as she elbowed him in the side.

"Ite! Then what do you call that?" he hissed back between his teeth as he bent over; holding his sore ribs. Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

"Good to see nothing has changed in 9 years," Tsunade said trying not to laugh as she only permitted a small smile to grace her lips. She handed Naruto the mission details in a scroll before continuing. "Listen up. This mission is to escort our client from Tsuru country back here to Konoha. She specifically asked for the three of you for a reason only known to the client, but since this is a simple escort of a civilian I had no problem in approving it. Naruto, you'll lead of course. It took me forever to talk the council into approving this mission because this is Sasuke's first time out of the village in two years; don't screw this up! Dismissed!"

"Hai!" all three said in unison and disappeared in two puffs of smoke and one of fire.

'Wish I'd brought a camera for that meeting,' Tsunade thought with a tear in her eye.

"Maybe I _should_ go with them," Kakashi said right before a tea cup came flying toward his head.

* * *

Naruto led his team through the tree tops at top speed, Sasuke and Sakura not very far behind.

"Any idea who this woman is? Not too many people know your back in the village, at least no one outside the village would know enough to make a request," Naruto asked his dark haired teammate. Sasuke now looked like a regular Jounin with a black long sleeve shirt and black pants with a green Jounin vest and his katana strapped low on his back.

"No idea. Tsunade didn't seem like she knew anything more than what she told us," he said grabbing onto a branch long enough to swing off of it.

"Well, whoever she is it _seems_ simple enough just to pick her up in Tsuru country and bring her back to Konoha," Sakura said joining in the conversation. Of course they all knew there was no such thing as a simple mission. She suddenly felt a little dizzy and had to stop; grabbing onto a tree branch to steady herself.

Naruto and Sasuke stopped as soon as they noticed Sakura wasn't behind them. Naruto quickly backtracked to where she was and put a hand on her back as she shook the sensation from her head. Sakura pulled out a special soldier pill designed for just such occasions and popped it in her mouth; taking a drink from her canteen afterwards.

"What is it?" Naruto said with his voice full of concern.

"Just a little dizzy spell. I'll be fine in a minute," she said without returning his gaze.

"Uzumaki Sakura, don't give me that crap! What's going on?!" he said using the same tone of voice he used on Hotaru when the little boy was getting in trouble.

Sasuke's eyes turned deep red and he knew right away what his teammate was having trouble with.

"Sakura, why didn't you tell us before we left?" Sasuke asked sternly. She shot him a death glare as she looked him straight in his deep red eyes.

"Because I wanted to be team 7 again!" she snapped out of frustration.

"Sakura, what are you not telling me that everyone but me seems to know all of a sudden?" Naruto said pulling her into his gaze with a hand under her chin.

"Sasuke's not everyone. He only knows because of those eyes of his!" she snapped. He saw a brief flash of fear in her green eyes before she continued. She took a deep breath before stating, "I'm pregnant."

"What?...That's…that's wonderful! Why didn't you say anything?" Naruto had a mixture of joy and confusion written all over his face as he gazed into her jade green eyes.

"I wasn't really sure until yesterday when Ino talked me into taking a test. I've been trying to find a time to tell you, but then Tsunade told me about this mission and I just didn't want you to worry." Her eyes started to fill with tears as she became lost in his deep blues.

"No wonder you've been acting out of the ordinary. Come here," he said wrapping his strong arms around her shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his waist in return and let all her pent up, hormone related tears fall onto his sage coat.

"I hate hormones," she sniffed as her tears finally subsided. Naruto just laughed at his wife and kissed her on the top of her head. "Not funny, baka!"

Sasuke looked a little uncomfortable as his two teammates were in their embrace, but he just watched in silence. His eyes had already returned to their normal black color.

"Let's get going before we lose any more time. Are you going to be alright Sakura?" Naruto asked his wife.

"I'll be fine now that I've taken that soldier pill. They wouldn't do you guys any good, so I suggest the two of you keep your hands off them unless you become pregnant," she warned her two teammates.

"OS," Naruto said with a salute. "So, does this mean you're breasts are going to get huge again?'

SMACK!

Sakura sent him flying into the neighboring tree before taking off to join Sasuke. Naruto was lucky her punch was more of a reaction and she hadn't had time to put much chakra into it. He got up and shook his head before following his wife. Naruto made sure to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the morning.

Sasuke just shook his head and turned toward the trees in front of them. He waited just long enough for Naruto and Sakura to catch up before he joined them in their race through the tree tops. 'This could be an interesting mission,' Sasuke thought as the trees passed him in a blur.

* * *

It took Team 7 three days to reach the border of Tsuru country. The country was known for its rice fields and abundant water ways where the cranes that the country was named after could be seen in great numbers. They stopped on a small ledge overlooking a cluster of lakes that were filled with the noble birds in the early morning light. Sakura felt like her breath was taken away at the sight of so many cranes.

"Wow, now why would anyone want to leave a place like this?" Sakura said in wonder.

"I heard it is a beautiful country, but a rather poor one," Sasuke said offering up what information he knew on the country. "We never bothered to come here because they were never considered to have any talent."

Sakura knew he was referring to Orochimaru. She was surprised that he even brought up the subject. It was a good sign of healing, but it was best not to make mention of it.

"Tsunade mentioned a village an hour to the west of here where we would find our client. Let's go," Naruto said refocusing his teammates. They raced across the water causing the cranes to take off in a great cloud of white. A sense of danger had been growing in Naruto's mind as they moved toward the village, but he couldn't quite place the uneasiness he felt. He glanced over at Sasuke and he knew Sasuke could feel it too after they exchanged glances.

They reached a small farming village sooner than expected and they saw a woman with dark brown hair playing with a young child, about 6 or 7 years old at the edge of the village. The brunette wore a simple summer dress and the boy had on a black pair of shorts and a grey T-shirt. He had medium length, raven black hair and pale skin, but he appeared very healthy. As they came closer they all could see that the boy had coal black eyes. Sakura and Naruto looked at each other behind Sasuke's back as he had now taken the lead position. 'I've seen a boy like that somewhere before,' both Sakura and Naruto seemed to think in unison.

The woman stood up from a small barrel that she had used as a seat to greet the shinobi. "I assume you three are the Leaf ninja," she said eying the leaf insignias on their hitai-ate. The woman's green eyes pleaded with theirs for some reason.

"Hai, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. This is Uzumaki Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke, but I believe you already know that if you know we are from Konoha," Naruto said as he walked up to this woman.

"You are correct. We have been waiting for you. My name is Shima Midori. This is my son Daisuke. We are in need of your protection as we journey to Konoha," she said rather formally. Sakura was surprised that someone so well spoken was living in these conditions.

"May I ask what business you have in Konoha?" Sasuke asked with suspicion. Something about the kid was bugging him, but he couldn't quite place it; rather, his mind didn't want to place it.

"I have a request for your Hokage, but you may find in due time why we requested your escort," she said as she picked up a bag that had been sitting on the ground behind her. Daisuke stood next to his mother looking rather protective of her with a stern expression on his face like he didn't quite trust these strangers.

"It looks like you're ready to go. Alright, let's go," Naruto said as he took her bag from her. "There is no need to worry," he said giving an encouraging smile to the young boy at his mother's side. This seemed to relax the boy a little as they started their journey down the road.

They walked for quite a while in silence. Daisuke ran back and forth as his curiosity led him to explore the area around the path. Midori watched in amusement only calling him back a couple of times.

"How old is Daisuke?" Sakura asked finally breaking the silence between her and their client.

"He'll be seven next month," Midori said with a smile as she watched Daisuke chase after a grass hopper. Like any child he was very curious, but he had a confident air about him.

"Really? He seems more mature than that. Have you lived in Tsuru country long?" Sakura said trying to make conversation while the guys seemed to have found a topic unto themselves.

"Ever since his father died shortly after Daisuke was born. I use to work for the Daimyo in Tori country until I met his father. That all changed when I found out I was pregnant. Ever since he was born, Daisuke's been my comfort and my joy," she said as her green eyes showed some of the raw emotion she desperately tried to hide with a smile.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." This was not how Sakura wanted the conversation to go. They remained quiet until Midori broke the silence this time.

"I requested Haruno Sakura when I wrote to the Hokage, I'm assuming your name change means you're married to Naruto-san?"

"Yes, we've been married for almost two years now. This is the first time we've gone on a mission together since our son was born." Sakura beamed as any mother does when talking about her kids.

"Is it normal for ninja mothers to go on missions? I can't stand the thought of leaving my son alone," she said. Sakura noticed something in her body language that was telling her that Midori was trying to bury some strong emotions.

"As a ninja we do what we have to for the livelihood of the village. Sometimes that means going on missions. I've been fortunate because I'm also a medic and I use my skills in our hospital, allowing me to stay at home with my son. But, this mission is special and I wouldn't miss it for the world," said Sakura.

"How so?"

"Your request made it possible for our team to work together again. The three of us haven't worked together in a really long time." Sakura looked on the backs of her two teammates beaming. She rolled her eyes though as they seemed to be glaring at each other for some dumb reason. 'I hate it when they do that,' she thought to herself, shaking her head at their immaturity.

Midori also noticed and let out a small giggle. "Are they always like that?" Midori asked.

"Ever since we were kids. They are best friends and eternal rivals. I use to be part of the cause of their rivalry, but you can see who won that battle," she said with a laugh. "By the way, why did you ask for our team?"

"Daisuke's father said if I ever needed help to contact Konoha and to specifically request your team. He must have known you would have the skills needed for my situation."

Sakura was about to ask another question when she saw Naruto and Sasuke freeze in their tracks causing Sakura to pull out a kunai out of sheer reflex.

"Midori, get behind me. Daisuke, get between your mother and me, NOW!" Sakura ordered as she could feel a presence. 'This must be what made the boys stop,' she thought.

Daisuke had gone ahead of Naruto and was surprised at the sudden change in atmosphere. The young boy didn't move fast enough before he saw a kunai coming right at him. Sasuke shot between the kunai and the kid, knocking it down with his katana. Daisuke's eyes got really big. He'd never seen someone move that fast before.

"Listen to Sakura-san, get back to your mother _now_," he hissed without turning around to look at the kid. The kid just nodded dumbly and stumbled back to his mother. Naruto had appeared behind Midori before she even realized he had moved. Sasuke kept his back toward them, but he moved into position around Midori and her son, his eyes dark red.

"They are finally here," whispered Naruto. "Keep your eyes open. Sakura, do not leave these two."

She opened her mouth as if to argue, but closed it again. She knew why he was being protective and it was no use arguing.

"Hai," she said simply.

They were attacked by a shower of kunai. The three ninja managed to knock them down quickly, but there were what looked like white wasps suddenly appearing in between the kunai.

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" yelled Sasuke as he seemed to recognize the attack. Naruto and Sakura used their bodies to shield Midori and Daisuke as Sasuke released a full body chidori to counter the attack. The wasps were vaporized and the kunai flew backwards at the sudden release of high voltage. Daisuke could feel his hair stand on end as he hid beneath his mother's body.

They could hear a voice coming from the trees above them congratulating Sasuke. "I see you've fought my brother before," said a feminine voice. A blonde woman jumped out of the trees rather confidently. She was wearing a tight black dress that was rather revealing and knee high black boots. It had a single red cloud on her left sleeve.

"Impossible," Naruto said as he stood up. It was almost like Déjà vu looking at the woman before them. Sakura stood up too helping Midori and Daisuke to their feet.

"I guess my brother was a popular guy with you Leaf ninja. Oh well, too bad he couldn't be here to see this." She reached into a bag at her hip as if rummaging for something.

"Akatsuki!? You must be Deidara's sister. I remember hearing about you before I left," Sasuke hissed, still holding his katana in front of him.

"Then you must be Uchiha Sasuke. Madara-sama will be happy to hear that you are doing well. This could be a problem for me since you killed my brother, but no matter," she said as she threw something from her hand in their direction. Naruto threw down some smoke bombs and they disappeared before a small explosion hit where they once stood.

"Shimatta, they're quick!" she seethed. The Akatsuki member was left all alone among the clearing smoke. "I _hate_ cat and mouse games!" She pulled out what looked like a white hawk figurine and made hand signs causing it to enlarge. She hoped on its back and took to the sky in search of her prey.

A few hundred meters away team 7 was hiding in the brush. Sasuke still had his sharingan activated as he watched the skies for any sign of their enemy.

"We'll stay here a while until she's gone," Naruto whispered to his companions. 'This is not exactly how I thought this mission would turn out,' Naruto thought to himself. Turning to Midori he asked the question that was on all their minds. "Did you know that you were being targeted by Akatsuki?"

"Yes," she said hanging her head.

"This makes things more complicated. Why exactly are they after you?"

"I don't know."

Naruto could tell that she wasn't telling the truth, but now was not the time to push the matter further. He could hear the rustling of clay wings overhead. They grew quiet as the bird soared overhead. He thought for a few moments and then looked at his raven haired teammate.

"Sakura, stay here. Let's go," he said to Sasuke and they disappeared after the bomb wielding maiden.


	10. Midori's Story

Love all the reviews, favorites and alerts. Uzumakisunspydr, rou hyuga 18, celious2, and Savanin; I'm glad you are all enjoying this and I hope this answers some of your questions from the last chapter.

Not much to say since I've also been cleaning up previous chapters. Nothing major, so don't feel like you need to re-read anything.

Glossary:

Ninjato: short ninja sword, much like Sai's

Shimatta: let's just say it's like Sh#

Tori: Bird

Katsu: It's what Deidara would yell causing his clay to explode

Kai: release

**All Naruto characters belong to ****Masashi Kishimoto****. The story is only about what could be and if Sasuke had his way, he wouldn't be in this mess.  
**

**Chapter 10: Midori's Story**

The shapely blonde was hovering high overhead as she looked for her prey. Her long blonde hair which was tied in a low ponytail and her figure were the only some of the minor differences between her and her older brother. Facing Jounin of this level was not what she had expected when Madara had sent her to pick up the kid and his mom. This was supposed to be an easy mission. It was why Madara had sent her alone. Scowling down at her hidden enemy, she was obviously not happy with how the morning had turned out. In desperation, she started throwing down projectiles into the neighboring trees.

Sasuke and Naruto hid high up in the treetops away from Sakura and the others. They were observing her movements as she started to set off the bombs. The pattern seemed random, but she was trying to drive them out of the trees back toward where she had first appeared on the road. The two Leaf ninja looked at each other before nodding. They disappeared only to reappear on the ground not far from where she was hovering. It was better to take the fight to her if she was trying to force Sakura and their clients out of their hiding place.

Sasuke quietly pulled his katana from its sheath, giving himself enough room before he nodded to Naruto who quickly and quietly made a clone. Naruto and his clone faced each other. They locked arms and crouched into position preparing for Sasuke's approach. Sasuke propelled himself towards his teammate(s). He jumped onto their linked arms only to have them launch him in the direction of the clay bird.

"Chidori!" he cried right before the chidori laced sword cut down onto the bird, removing the wing and a third of the body. He had hoped to take off more, but he was quickly losing momentum and without his curse mark wings, he had to settle for that much. The bomb-wielding maiden spun around at the sound of his battle cry and jumped from the back of the now damaged bird before forming a hand sign that caused the bird to explode right in front of Sasuke.

Before she could fall far she had pulled out another clay bird and enlarged it. It caught her, as it took off higher into the sky to avoid the oncoming blast. Something felt off when she could not feel the shock-wave of the blast. She looked down to find that she was no longer on the bird she had called forth, but falling rapidly toward the ground.

"What the…shimatta!" she exclaimed before looking up to see that her first clay bird was falling in two pieces toward the ground, the enemy glared at her with his red eyes. "Genjutsu?!" she growled before making the clay bird 'again'.

"Hidden Snake Hands!"

Sasuke called forth enough snakes to grasp at a nearby tree and pull him into the branches. The Uchiha landed gracefully on a tree not far from where the original bird had fallen and watched as the bomb mistress climbed higher into the sky on another bird. She flew into the sun, temporarily causing him to lose sight of his target when he was forced to shield his eyes from the glare.

"Let's see how good that eyesight of yours is now. With the sun to my advantage you make an easy target," the blonde Akastuki maiden called down. She made a couple of dozen clay spiders and sent them in Sasuke's direction. Squinting, Sasuke defended himself with chidori senbon that pierced the clay figures and sent them in the opposite direction.

She growled at him and made a hand sign, focusing her chakra on the remnants of her original bird at the base of the tree the Uchiha was standing in before she yelled "Katsu!" She was surprised when there was no explosion. Looking down she could see that a katana was sparking in the middle of the largest piece of the bird. He had apparently defused her clay before she had even noticed.

"And I suppose you're going to say that 'Art is a blast' too. Why don't you try something original?" Sasuke taunted.

"Original, huh?" she said flirtatiously. "I have my orders, but maybe we can make a deal. Surely I have something a big, strong man such as yourself is in need of."

The Akastuki maiden shot him a flirtatious grin before suggestively running a single finger down the neckline of her dress. Sasuke found himself in a dimly lit room with the blonde in a more revealing dress than he'd just seen her in. She crossed the short distance between them and draped her arms around his neck. She lustfully looked up into his eyes and her lips were inches away from his own saying, "Is this what you had in mind?"

"Get real." Sasuke said. "You're not my type. Kai!"

Sasuke released the genjutsu and teleported out of range, just in time to dodge another attack of bombs.

"Ah, big boy doesn't want to play," she said, feigning a pout. She quickly changed expressions to a sneer as she pulled out a scroll and bit her thumb, wiping the blood onto the storage seals. A shower of kunai and senbon rained down on the Uchiha and he quickly retreated in an effort to avoid the projectiles. 'Hurry up, dobe,' he thought as he used a kunai to knock the projectiles away as he moved out of her range.

As if on cue, Naruto appeared. His eyes were rimmed red as he leapt powerfully, straight toward their opponent. She tried to fend off his attack before he reached her by launching a shower of small wasp shaped missiles in his direction, each one setting off an explosion whenever they touched a solid object. He blocked several bombs by using his arms as shields, but the barrage did not stop his attack. He landed a solid blow to her ride and sent it back about fifty meters, but it wasn't enough to throw her off.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," he cried as he used a clone to make a resen-shiriken mid air. The clone dispersed as soon as it formed. As Naruto descended, he sent the jutsu spiraling end on end at their opponent and it sliced the bird in half. She back flipped off her ride and aimed for the treetops. The resen-shiriken just barely missed her head as it spiraled toward the trees. Naruto landed in a crouch on the ground and Sasuke walked up to meet him. Sasuke's red sharingan eyes focused on something in the nearby forest.

"She's quick," Naruto said as he inspected his rather singed sleeve. "Not too many can dodge that attack."

"But not too original. I saw her land just beyond that small ridge," Sasuke said as he pulled his katana out of the clay.

"Let's go," Naruto said as they raced over the ground where Sasuke had seen her land.

The Leaf Jounin reached her last known location only to find that she had disappeared from sight. Naruto silently motioned for Sasuke to go toward the right behind where he could sense her chakra. 'I have only a couple of minutes left in sage mode,' the young Toad Sage thought to himself. He walked up to a well-vegetated area and called for her to come out and fight. He received no answer, but he jumped out of the way right before a shower of senbon came at him. Naruto pulled out his ninjato style chakra blade that he carried hidden under his sage coat and charged it with chakra; extending its length. He used it to block the incoming senbon as he watched his partner go unnoticed behind the source of the attack.

Sasuke quietly walked up behind the rouge kunoichi and put the katana to her throat. "Nice try, but not good enough," he said in true Uchiha fashion. "Tell me why you attacked."

"You mean she hasn't told you yet? Even I know that kid is more valuable to Madara-sama than you will ever be," she taunted. She had a wicked grin on her face as she added, "Tell the kid, 'Madara-ojiisan sends his love'." She turned within his arms so that she was face to face with Sasuke and blew him a kiss mockingly.

The mention of his twisted relative caused Sasuke to angrily punch a chidori right into her side. She just laughed as her features began to deform.

"Nice try. Maybe we can play another day," the figure said as it melted into a lump of white clay.

Naruto walked up, having witnessed the scene from the point where she had blown him a kiss, as Sasuke put away his katana. The Uchiha looked down at his left hand covered in blood.

"Clay clone huh?" his blonde teammate asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think she got away without a scratch. This blood is real enough," he replied. "So, what took you so long, dobe?"

"What? I had to wait until you gave me an opening, teme," Naruto said in defense. "Why, did she catch you in a genjutsu or something?"

"Hn."

"Uh oh…was it the seduction kind?" Naruto teased.

"Shut up, dobe."

"That good huh?"

"No. Creepy. She looks too much like her brother," Sasuke said trying not to remember the images. Just the thought of it sent chills down his spine.

"Well, I've lost all trace of her. I want to go back and check on Sakura and the others to make sure she didn't double back. Stay here and see if you can find any trace of her," Naruto said as his frog eyes scanned the area searching for anything out of the ordinary. "I'll bring them back here unless I run into trouble then I'll give you a signal."

"Hn," Sasuke replied as he scanned the area as well.

Naruto disappeared into the trees racing back to where they had left Sakura and the others. He silently prayed that they were OK and that the Akatsuki maiden hadn't gone after them.

* * *

Sakura and Midori sat huddled around Daisuke as they waited for her teammates to return. Sakura knew they would be fine, but she still wanted to know what was going on. The pink haired kunoichi had concealed the three of them with just enough genjutsu that anyone moving quickly would be unable to notice their presence. Explosions were heard in the distance as Sasuke and Naruto took on the woman who was only identified as Deidara's sister. Sakura remembered the bomb specialist, but she had been busy when he fought Kakashi and Naruto. Midori was silent as tears slowly made their way down her cheeks. Daisuke just sat like a scared little rabbit in his mother's arms. Sakura rubbed Midori's back as she would a scared child trying to reassure her. 'I hope they come back soon, or at least give me a sign that it's over,' the pink hair kunoichi thought to herself.

The sun was already at its highest point in the sky so Sakura decided to pull out some onigiri for Midori and her son to eat for lunch. She only popped a couple of soldier pills in her mouth. They would have to do until she had a better idea about how the battle was going. Her stomach was queasy but it soon calmed down once she had swallowed the pills. Now she remembered why she hated morning sickness.

The sound of the explosions finally subsided and Sakura knew that the battle was over, but who won? She stood up and scanned the area for any sign of her team. She could sense someone coming towards her, but the chakra signature was familiar. She released the genjutsu as Naruto jumped down from the trees to join Sakura and the others. As soon as he reached their hiding place, he relaxed out of sage mode. He couldn't sense any other chakra in the area and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"She got away," he said out of breath. "Sasuke is trying to track her. We'd better hurry before she pulls a fast one and comes to look for you. She's injured, so I hope she won't cause us any problems for a while."

Sakura noticed that his arm looked like it had been burned. She tried to examine it but he just shook her off. He had things that are more important on his mind and he wasn't going to wait until she healed him. He had Midori climb on his back and Daisuke climbed onto Sakura's. They shot into the trees to find their third team member.

They quickly reached the place where Sasuke was. He was scanning the area with his sharingan as they approached. His eyes faded into black once Naruto and Sakura stood next to him.

"Anything?"

"No, nothing."

"Let's get going. The sooner we are back in Konoha the less likely she'll follow us." Naruto turned toward the direction of home and took off at his fastest pace; Sasuke and Sakura close on his heels.

* * *

Later that evening they had stopped to set up camp just inside the Fire Countries boarder. The travelers were feeling much safer now that they were close to home. Once they set up camp, Midori and Daisuke sat down to work on reading some scrolls Midori had brought along with them. This seemed like their own little evening routine. Sakura finally took this moment to tend to her husband's injuries.

It always amazed her how uninjured Sasuke was after a battle like that. It was one of the things that proved he was good at what he did. Naruto on the other hand seemed to run right into danger. She was a little worried at how quiet Sasuke had been since the battle. He was normally quiet, but this was beyond his normal silence. While she healed Naruto, the Uchiha had gone to a nearby river to catch some fish for dinner.

After a meal of grilled fish and onigiri, Naruto and Daisuke ended up in a game of rock-paper-scissors. Midori seemed to have a lot on her mind as she watched her son play with a member of her escort. She got up and walked over to Sasuke who had been on watch just outside the light of the campfire.

"Sasuke-san, may I speak with you a moment?" she addressed the raven-haired man. "In private."

"Of course," he said with a slightly raised eye brow.

They walked over to the river where they found a small foot bridge. Midori walked on to it and leaned against the railing, gazing into the water as it shimmered in the light of the moon. Sasuke stood next to her, but he didn't seem to notice the tear that slid down her cheek and into the water below.

"Tell me, why you asked for us specifically," he asked with an icy expression in his eyes. "There is something you're not telling us. What does Madara want with the kid?" Sasuke asked. He couldn't help but think of his teammate who had come for the sake of team 7 even if it meant putting her unborn child in harm's way.

"The reason I requested the three of you is because of your brother," she said with downcast eyes. Her expression was pained as if there was something deeper she didn't want to face.

"Itachi?" he said in disbelief.

"Yes," she hesitated. After a brief moment of silence, she appeared to have gathered enough courage to continue. "Before I can answer your questions I must start at the beginning. Itachi was my lover. We met eight years ago when he was roaming through my country. He never told me much about what he did for a living other than he was a ninja far from home."

'That is right before they started collecting tailed beasts,' Sasuke thought to himself.

"He stayed in my village for six months while his partner had other business he had to take care of. I only knew him a short time before we found out I was pregnant. Before he left that last time, he told me some of his story and made me vow that if anything happened to him that I would find his you."

"Why now? Why did you wait all this time before trying to contact me," Sasuke said trying to mentally navigate all the emotion that came with memories of his brother. He was successful enough to keep a straight face while she spoke.

"I'm dying." They remained in silence a while as Sasuke allowed this news to sink in. "I requested an escort to your country hoping that your Hokage could take a look at me. Itachi tried his best to protect us from Madara, but he found out somehow and I'm dying from the same poison he used to kill your brother."

"What about the kid?" Sasuke couldn't bring himself to say his name for a reason he himself didn't know. The part about Itachi being poisoned came as no surprise to Sasuke. Madara himself had long ago told him that Itachi was already dying when they fought and now that Sasuke looked back on their fight, he had always known that something wasn't right with his brother.

"He's healthy. Apparently he's too valuable to Madara," she briefly paused before continuing their story. "Itachi sent word to me once he realized he was dying seven years ago. He sent us into hiding because Madara had found out about my son and was coming to take him. We were already in hiding before he showed up in my home country of Tori. One of his informants somehow recently slipped me a drug that is slowly eating away at my heart."

"He wanted to use the kid because he was Itachi's, an Uchiha heir," Sasuke realized aloud. How far was Madara willing to go for his revenge? There was no guarantee this kid would even have the sharingan, but he was still young enough to be twisted to Madara's will. Now that he thought about it, the kid's appearance had bothered him the moment he met them. Short of the ponytail, Daisuke looked just like Itachi did when they were little; only Sasuke hadn't made the connection. It had also caught him off guard when Daidara's sister had said "Madara-ojiisan" right before she escaped.

"We've been running from place to place ever since, but Madara has intensified his search and I'm running out of time," she said this as tears started running down her cheeks silently.

"Did Itachi also tell you that I had vowed to kill him?" He was curious to know exactly how much Itachi had told her. The fresh wave of tears told him that his question may have gone a little too far, but it was too late to take it back now.

"Yes," she sniffled. "He hoped that you wouldn't be corrupted by Madara before it was too late."

They spoke for several more minutes as Midori related her account of Itachi's history to Sasuke. He left her standing there crying on the bridge and walked past Naruto and Sakura as they sat by the campfire with Daisuke. Naruto had an arm around Sakura's shoulders as they acted as if they had not been watching the conversation from a distance. Sasuke kept walking and headed to a clearing they had seen on the far side of their camp. He needed some time to think. He needed time to figure out why the name of Uchiha went hand and hand with misfortune.

Sasuke stood there for a long time looking up at the stars. If Itachi wasn't already dead he felt like he could kill him, but not due to hate. He no longer harbored any for his brother. He had just wanted to get away from all things Uchiha and now he had a nephew and a sister-in-law in the picture.

Naruto was still up as Sakura and Midori lay asleep on the ground, with Daisuke snuggled in between them. He started to worry when Sasuke hadn't come back after a couple of hours, but he knew he was still close by because he could sense his chakra. The tall blonde finally decided it was time to talk to his teammate and walked toward the clearing where Sasuke was. The raven-haired man looked like a statue as he gazed up at the stars, his chest only rising and falling slightly as he took shallow, almost pained breaths. Naruto walked up beside his friend and looked up at the sky along with him. He wished that he could read minds like Ino, but decided it would be best to wait for Sasuke to break the silence.

"Did you notice the resemblance?" Sasuke said finally breaking the silence.

"To Itachi? I had a feeling I'd seen someone like that before but I couldn't place it until Sakura pointed out that he looked a lot like a young Itachi," his friend replied in a tone not much above a whisper.

"She's dying."

"Who is?" he said. The words were more of a reaction than a need for information.

"Midori. It's poison. She wants to see Tsunade in hope of a cure, but knowing Madara the poison won't have one." Sasuke briefly told Naruto what Midori had related to him earlier followed by a pained silence. "It's like my brother only existed to bring pain into my life. There was a brief time, when I was little, when I wanted to follow in his footsteps. Raising his child was not what I had in mind. It is also not how I wanted to re-establish the Uchiha name. You're a father, what would have done in his place?"

"I probably would want someone to raise him that had the most knowledge on how to handle being what he is, an Uchiha. Sasuke, you're the only one who understands what it means to be an Uchiha along with all the stuff that comes with that name. Even Kakashi understands full well the pain that comes with the sharingan, but he still didn't know enough to keep you from your path of self destruction. Whatever you decide, know that Sakura and I are here for you. Do what _you_ believe is right."

Naruto patted his friend on the shoulder before heading back to the campfire. There was nothing he could do but be there for his friend until Sasuke fully made peace with the memory of his brother. Naruto sat down next to the campfire. He had a feeling that he would be the one on watch all night with Sasuke lost to his own thoughts. No need to wake Sakura. She needed as much sleep as she could get. He moved his gaze from his sleeping bride to the child next to her. He was sleeping so peacefully and he had no idea what the world held for him; no idea the pain of the name he carried or the torture his uncle was going through because of his existence.

* * *

"Sakura, wake up. It's time to go and I made you breakfast," the blonde said as he shook her from her sleep gently.

"What time is it?" she asked still half asleep.

"Just before sunrise. Midori is already up and she and Daisuke had breakfast already."

"Why didn't you wake me earlier?" she asked as she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"I figured you could use the sleep, dattebayo," he said with a smile he reserved only for her. She couldn't help but blush under his gaze. She wondered how he could still do that to her.

"Where is Sasuke?"

"He's already up too; went to go catch some fish to preserve for our trip." He stood up after handing her some onigiri with a complimentary kiss on the forehead. He looked in the direction his friend had gone to with a far off look in his eyes.

"Will he be OK?"

"Hmm? … I think he just needs some time to digest it all," he said without looking back toward her. "He told me the real reason for our mission after you were already asleep. Even though Madara is still nowhere to be seen, his reach is long enough to cause us trouble once again. He's after the child this time. It could be convenient for him when he finds out Sasuke and I are with him. Sakura, Daisuke _is_ Itachi's son." He said this last sentence looking her right in the eyes.

"I knew he looked like Itachi," she said before saying something else that had been bothering her. "It's Madori's heart isn't it? That's why she wanted to be escorted back to the village." She had seen the signs like any good medic. Midori would tire very easily, she'd get dizzy and stumble and her skin was paler than it should be naturally. She wondered if Midori would let her see if there was anything that could be done before they left camp. She didn't have the equipment or supplies needed for detailed surgery, but maybe she could make the journey easier for her.

"Maybe she'll let you take a look at her," he said, his thoughts mirroring her own.

"Great minds think alike," she said before quickly finishing her last rice ball. The morning sickness was subsiding now that she had something in her stomach. It didn't take her long to get ready and Naruto let everyone know that it was time to leave. Sakura pulled Midori to the side and proceeded to give her a quick examination after letting Midori know that she suspected her health problems.

While Sakura and Midori were gone, Daisuke walked up to where Naruto and Sasuke were waiting and just stared at the tall raven-haired man. Sasuke finally broke off from where he had set his gaze and stared down at the little boy.

"What," said a rather gloomy Uchiha.

"Kasan said you're my uncle," the young boy said rather matter-of-factly.

"Yes."

"What was my father like?"

Sasuke wasn't quite sure how to handle such a direct question from this little person. He dealt with kids all the time at the academy, but that was when he was teaching shiriken and kunai techniques. This topic was a little more personal. He thought for a moment about whether or not he should say anything. Naruto watched with interest as Daisuke tried to have a conversation with his stoic friend.

"He looked like you."

"Really?! Kasan always says that, but I never believe her. What else?"

Sasuke didn't know what else to tell him so he said the first thing that came to mind. "He was a strong ninja."

"Then I want to be a ninja too; like you guys. I want to be just like Tosan!" he said naively.

Sasuke looked at Naruto as if to say, 'Now what do I say.'

"It's not that simple. Being a ninja takes a lot of hard work and determination, dattebayo," Naruto cut in. "Your uncle and dad worked very hard to be strong. Tell you what, we'll talk to the Hokage when we get to the village and see if you could spend a day at the academy to see what _real_ ninja training is like." Naruto hoped that would satisfy the boy's curiosity long enough for Sasuke to figure out a better answer next time the boy asked.

"Yatta! I would really like that. Thank you Uzumaki-san!" said a very excited 7 year-old. Naruto smiled at the boy's enthusiasm and even Sasuke's mouth turned up into a small, thin smile. Oh, how far the boy had to go before he would realize what it really meant to 'be just like Tosan'.

"All done," Sakura said as they came back into view. "I gave her something to ease the pain and keep her heart from working too hard. We may have to take turns carrying them so that we can pick up the pace. Daisuke, want a lift?"

"No way, I want to go with Ojisan!"

"Stubbornness runs in the family," Naruto said under his breath only loud enough for Sasuke to hear. "OK, then Madori comes with me."

Sasuke shot him a look, but stooped down so that Daisuke could climb up. The boy gave him a great big hug from behind and prepared to hold on tight. Sakura clipped her medic bag back on and they disappeared into the treetops at full speed.


	11. Future Affairs

Love all the reviews, favorites and alerts. Uzumakisunspydr, rou hyuga 18, celious2, Forgotten Werewolf, and Amrun. I'm glad some of you liked the last battle. Seriously, I'm not good at writing that stuff, so I was just relieved that it wasn't awful.

This chapter would have been out sooner, but I've been playing Dr. Mom as well as fighting a cold myself. Plus, I didn't like the first version and did a virtual version of crumpling up my paper (delete, delete, delete) before I rewrote the beast. Now, on with the show...

And a happy belated birthday to Naruto!

**All Naruto characters belong to ****Masashi Kishimoto****. The story is only about what could be and if Sasuke had his way, he wouldn't be in this mess.  
**

**Chapter 11:**

The wind was blowing stray leaves across the road by the main gate where Izumo and Kotetsu kept watch. The air was thick and hazy, making it hard for the two Chuunin to feel energetic about their assignment. Kotetsu looked like he was about to fall asleep while Izumo looked bored out of his mind.

"Why do we always get stuck with this duty? Why can't we do something more than watch people come and go all day long?" Kotetsu said with a yawn. "Well, I guess I might as well take advantage of it and relax."

"Can't you be a little more alert? Just be glad that we don't have to run errands for Tsunade-sama today," Izumo replied. He could see three people running toward the gate and he nudged his partner. "Hey, someone's coming."

Team 7 slowed down to a walk before reaching the gate. Naruto was carrying Midori and Sasuke was carrying Daisuke; putting him down as soon as they were within sight of the gate. Naruto put down his charge not much later. They were all tired and dirty from the journey and the three ninja had to pause not far from the watch station to catch their breaths.

"We're back, hehe. Not bad timing. It only took us two days," Naruto said, still a little out of breath. He bent over, grabbing his knees before taking a deep breath to slow down his breathing. With concern written on his face, he studied the rest of his team. "Are you alright Sakura? Midori, Daisuke you OK?" Naruto also threw a questioning glance at Sasuke who nodded his response silently.

"I'll be fine in a minute," his wife replied as she wiped some sweat from her brow.

"We are fine, Naruto-san," Midori replied. "It always amazes me how fast ninja can travel on foot, even with a passenger."

"Yeah, Ojisan. That was _cool_!" Daisuke exclaimed. Sasuke grunted a reply.

"In a hurry?" Kotetsu asked. 'Did that kid just call Sasuke _Ojisan_?'

Sasuke shot him a glare and it was enough to keep the Chunnin from answering his question aloud. He didn't know the Uchiha well, but he knew better than to cross him.

"Just a little trouble on our mission. I don't think we were followed, but stay alert just in case," Naruto said.

"Understood," Izumo replied; elbowing his partner and best friend earning a reply of "what?"

As team 7 headed toward the Hokage mansion, they could hear Izumo and Kotetsu faintly bickering as they walked down the street. At least some things never change.

"It feels so good to be home. I'm looking forward to seeing Hotaru and taking a nice long bath," Sakura said just loud enough for Naruto to hear.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. He had his hands laced behind his head and was letting his feet guide him down the road. "We'll report into Tsunade-baachan first, that way we can get Midori and Daisuke settled," he said loud enough for their clients and Sasuke to hear.

Sasuke walked behind the rest of the group, hands shoved deep in his pockets; looking calm and relaxed now that he had regained his breath. It was just a façade covering the mixture of emotions that consumed him. He shot the occasional look at Daisuke. It still felt a little weird for the Uchiha to look at the boy and not think of his brother. Sasuke wondered if Tsunade would agree to help this woman, the mother of an Uchiha. Village policy didn't allow anyone outside the village access to the hospital, but Tsunade might make it an exception once she found out who Midori was by association.

The air felt heavy and humid, signaling the coming of rain. The small group walked through the busy streets of Konoha. This was obviously Daisuke's first time in a large village as the sights that greeted him held his fascination. He was constantly pointing and asking questions of his mother about all the different venders they passed on their way to the Hokage's office and Sasuke caught himself smiling at the boy's antics; the smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Before long, they found themselves in front of the door of Tsunade's office.

Knock, knock, knock

"Enter!" Tsunade called in her normal gruff tone.

The small group entered and stood before her desk. Tsunade turned away from the window where she had been standing and came forward to greet their guests. "I'm Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage. You must be Shima Midori and this must be Daisuke," she said as she ruffled Daisuke's raven-black hair. He looked offended at the stranger touching his head, but remained quiet. "I had hoped that your journey would be an uneventful one, but from the looks of you there was some trouble in getting here."

"Hai, Tsunade-baachan. We ran into Akatsuki," Naruto said before Midori could answer the question.

"Akatsuki?!" she said in surprise.

"My apologies Hokage-sama. I did not have the funds for an A ranked mission, but I needed an escort and I was told this was the best team for the job." Midori bowed before handing the Hokage a well-worn letter that had a broken seal on it. "This should answer some of the questions you may have for me. I am requesting your help as my health is in need of your special talents."

Tsunade opened the letter and briefly scanned its contents before calling for Shizune. "Shizune, could you take Daisuke to meet Tonton and see if you can find him something to eat."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," her assistant said as she walked toward the little boy.

"It's alright. Go ahead, I'll be with you shortly," Midori said giving Daisuke a reassuring nod. Daisuke reluctantly took Shizune's hand and walked out of the office; Shizune closed the door behind them.

Once the boy was out of the room, Tsunade felt more at ease to discuss the letter's contents. "This is a letter from Uchiha Itachi. It goes into detail about his life and the reasons behind his actions. He's also asking me, or the current Hokage, to grant you asylum from Akatsuki, but it doesn't say anything about your health or when this was written."

Naruto and Sakura looked at Sasuke in apprehension, than back to Tsunade. Sasuke remained quiet, waiting for Midori to reply. He secretly longed to read what was in that letter, but Tsunade didn't look like she was ready to hand it to him.

"Itachi wrote that letter when he realized that he was dying, shortly after our son was born. I believe I have been poisoned in a similar manner as the boy's father and I have come to ask for your assistance and to bring my son to the home of his ancestors," Midori said giving the Hokage a low bow.

"Sasuke, did you know anything about this?" the Hokage said with a fiery look in her hazel eyes.

"Not until two days ago."

"How much of this does the boy know?" Tsunade turned and asked Midori.

"He knows that his father was a ninja. He also knows enough about ninja life to know that an order is absolute and that his father followed many orders that he wasn't proud of, but he knows nothing as far as details or people involved. He also knew nothing of Sasuke until we started our journey," Midori glanced at Sasuke with tears in her eyes. "Hokage-sama, _please_ grant his father's last request, for the sake of his son."

"Very well. For the sake of the boy, I will do what I can. Midori, I'll have Sakura show you to our hospital and get you checked in."

"Thank you so much, Hokage-sama," Midori replied, bowing low to show her appreciation.

Tsunade turned to address her team captain. "Naruto, I want your report as soon as possible and I want the three of you to report back here as soon as you've had a chance to get cleaned up and refreshed. Dismissed!"

"Hai!" the three said in unison before exiting the room.

Once they were out of the Hokage's office, Naruto whispered in Sakura's ear, "I'll be waiting at your parent's house," before turning to leave, Sasuke trailing not far behind.

Sakura and Midori made their way to find Shizune and Daisuke before heading off to the hospital. They found Daisuke in the lounge trying to get the timid little pig to take a snack from his hand. "Daisuke," Midori called out to him. He quickly dropped the treat, much to Tonton's delight, and ran to his mother, hugging her before they turned to leave. Sakura mouthed 'thank you' to Shizune as they walked out the door.

* * *

It didn't take long to get Midori situated in one of the hospital rooms. Daisuke refused to leave his mother's side for one instant. Sakura secretly hoped that Sasuke would offer a room at his house so that the boy wouldn't have to sleep on a spare hospital bed. Of course, Sakura was also fully aware at the Uchiha's need for solitude and had a feeling that he would not willingly offer up his home. She promised Midori she would come back to check on her once she had had a chance to freshen up.

Sakura hurried to her parent's house as fast as her tired and aching muscles would allow. Her boys were waiting for her and she didn't want to waste any more time than necessary at the hospital. Naruto, who was holding a very squirmy toddler, greeted her at the door. Hotaru practically dove into his mother's arms and she hugged him as if she would never let go again. They spent a few moments talking to her parents before gathering their son's things in order to return to their own apartment. Sakura thanked them for watching little Hotaru before they left. She and Naruto could both use a long bath, but there was still much to do before the day was over.

Once the Uzumaki family was clean and a little more refreshed, they took Hotaru and casually walked to the Hokage's office. They could see storm clouds rolling in and they hoped that the meeting would be over before the rain began to fall. Hotaru had decided that he wanted to be passed back and forth between his parents and had made quite a game out of it with reaching up his chubby little arms with a declaration of "'gain!" to the parent who's turn it was to pick him up. He finally tired of his little game by the time they reached the Hokage tower and sat comfortably in his mother's arms. Sakura was glad to have her son in her arms and didn't seem to notice the ache that came from holding the growing boy after a stressful mission.

They found a more refreshed Sasuke in the hallway before the Hokage's door, leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed; head down. He had been very quiet on their journey home and they both knew that he had a lot on his mind. A lot of it he had buried deep down for years and really didn't seem like he wanted to have it forcefully brought back into the forefront of his thoughts.

"Sakura, I think he's fallen asleep," Naruto said sarcastically hoping to break his friend's meditation without having to address him directly.

Hotaru caught sight of his parent's friend and squirmed to be let down. He had found another playmate. Toddling over to Sasuke, Hotaru reached up his arms toward to the brooding Uchiha saying, "Sa'ke,'gain!"

Sasuke's mouth twitched at the toddler's word. "Naruto, when are you going to teach your kid how to say my name?" he mumbled without opening his eyes.

"Why? It's either that or teme, pick one," Naruto joked. "Besides, it gives Tsunade another reason to like you."

"Baka," Sasuke grumbled.

Naruto ignored his remark and picked up his son before he knocked on the door to Tsunade's office to announce their return. He could feel two sets of eyes upon him. Ignoring the obvious glare from Sasuke, he turned to look at his wife. "What?" Naruto asked innocently when he noticed her glaring at him.

"I hope you aren't planning on teaching our son any of your bad habits," she replied only loud enough for him to hear.

"Hai, hai," the blonde replied as she shot him another look.

"Enter!" the Sannin called, signaling them to step into her office.

"We're back, Tsunade-baachan. I'm assuming you want us to give you more details of our mission?" Naruto said as the four of them entered the room. He placed his completed report on her desk.

Hotaru immediately spotted the pig sitting on the floor in front of the Hokage's desk and squirmed down in order to play with the little creature. Tonton did not want to play, again, but was slightly relieved that this persistent playmate was much smaller than the one she had been forced to entertain earlier.

Tsunade quickly scanned the mission report before she asked, "I assume the three of you would also like to know what was in Itachi's letter?"

"Only if Sasuke wants us to know," replied Sakura.

Sasuke remained quiet, not sure what he really wanted.

"Sasuke, I will give you a copy of the letter once we make sure that this letter is authentic. He mentions many details concerning the Uchiha massacre, dealing with who was involved and I think you would agree with me that there are enough versions of the story already out there that we don't need more false information. I am not duty bound to share this information with anyone outside of this room and most of this is old news. If this is indeed a letter from your brother, I will let you decide what the next step will be concerning the information it contains." Sasuke nodded his response before the Hokage continued. "The real issue here may be how to handle the boy's future and the continuing threat from Uchiha Madara."

"Tsunade-baachan, it seems like he is trying to reorganize Akatsuki and renew his efforts of revenge on Konoha. The woman we ran into was the sister of one of the original members from Iwa, Deidara. She didn't give a name, but Sasuke did some damage to her before we came here as fast as possible. Her attacks were similar to his, but she also combines it with weapons making it a little tricky to defend," related Naruto.

"She can also do genjutsu, but since we've both fought Deidara before, it took away any advantage she thought she had before the battle. It seems that Madara hadn't counted on us being the group to bring them back to Konoha," added Sasuke. "He'll be sure not to make the same mistake twice. I don't think he'll come for the boy so soon after this setback in his plans, but he knows everything about Konoha and it wouldn't take much for him to exploit our weaknesses."

The Hokage paused to ponder the implications of Sasuke's remark. Madara was and always will be a thorn in Konoha's side, but she also needed to keep the village running. She stood up from her desk and thought long and hard about the next steps they all needed to take before continuing.

"Madara obviously wants Itachi's son for himself. We will need to keep a close eye on him until the time comes when either Madara is gone, or the boy can defend himself from his threat. Sasuke, I think it would be best for you to keep watch over Midori and her son until further notice. As far as day-to-day duties, I would like you to return to the Academy as an instructor until the end of the school year. What do you think?" Tsunade asked.

"That sounds reasonable," Sasuke answered without any sign of emotion in his voice.

She carefully pondered her next question, as it was a little more personal in nature. "Sasuke, any thoughts about what to do with your nephew while we figure out his mother's health?" asked the Hokage.

Sasuke paused a moment before he answered, "The boy is old enough to attend the Academy if he wants. With your permission, I would like to enroll him until we have a better idea of what his future holds. It will give him something to do while his mother is in the hospital and I can watch over him easier while I'm teaching jutsu."

Tsunade nodded in approval. "I will also keep you informed of his mother's health. I don't think he's ready to leave her side just yet, but would you be willing to let him live with you in the future," asked the Hokage.

"It's up to him and his mother where they want to live," he said not giving a straightforward answer.

"That is as much as we can do for them for the moment. I would say your mission was a success. As well as the three of you worked together I have a feeling it will be a while before your team will go out on another mission," the Hokage said as she turned to look toward Sakura, who already knew full well that it was no use in arguing about going on any more missions while pregnant. "While you were gone I had already given it some thought... Naruto, I would like you to assist in the upcoming Chuunin exam."

"Fine with me, Baachan. About how long do we have before the exam?" Naruto asked his Hokage.

"It should take you about three months from planning to the end depending on how many applications we actually receive. Shikamaru's team is participating this year, so you'll be working with Genma and Temari this year. After that, I'll put you back on regular mission duty until further notice," the Sannin said.

"Hai, Baachan," Naruto replied with a half smile. He had learned much since he had to answer the tenth question and he planned on taking on this new assignment with the same determination that had helped him make it through his own Chuunin exam.

"Sakura, any thoughts about how long you will want to work at the hospital during this pregnancy?"

"I'm perfectly fine keeping the same schedule I had up until the mission if that is OK with you. Considering how my last pregnancy went, I think it would be best to take it day to day depending on how I'm feeling," the pink haired Uzumaki answered.

Hotaru let out a squeal of delight when he tried to catch the little pig as she raced under the desk to avoid the toddler.

"Very well. I will examine Midori and let you know if I need any help with her treatment. For now, I want all of you to go home and get some rest. Dismissed. And Naruto, please take care of your son."

Naruto picked up the toddler as he tried to follow Tonton under the desk, giving the Hokage an apology as he did so. They left her office and Sakura mentioned that she had promised to check in on Midori before they could go home. Naruto handed Sakura their toddler and made excuses saying he had some things to take care of, but Sasuke decided to tag along. He needed to talk to Daisuke and his mother about enrolling him into the Academy.

* * *

"Domo," Sakura said as she knocked at the door of Midori's room.

"Enter," Midori called. She sounded much more relaxed now that they were in a safer place. Daisuke was sitting on his mother's bed looking rather bored, but still too worried about his mother to leave her side. "Sakura-san, Sasuke-san, It's good to see you. Is this your son?" Midori's eyes lit up as she saw the red headed toddler in Sakura's arms.

"Yes, this is Hotaru. Hotaru, say 'hi'," Sakura said and turned so that Midori could see him better. He was starting to get a little sleepy and had laid his head on her shoulder on the way over to the hospital.

The little cherub simply said "hi" as he sat up and rubbed an eye sleepily.

"He is so cute. You and Naruto-san must be so proud of him," Midori complimented.

"We are, but if the red hair says anything he can have a bit of a temper," Sakura said giving the redhead a tickle to his ribs that caused him to squirm and giggle. Hotaru had been known to throw temper tantrums when he didn't get his way, like any toddler. However, since he was already capable of building a limited amount of chakra, he had a tendency to throw the first object he could find as hard has he could at whoever had been the focus of his ire. Both Naruto and Sakura were getting very good at dodging or catching toys thrown hard enough to leave welts if they hit their mark. "How are you feeling?" Sakura asked.

"They gave me something for the dizziness, so I'm feeling a little better."

Sakura picked up the chart with her free hand and examined it. They were defiantly going to have to do some research on this poison. She'd seen similar symptoms in her studies, but couldn't quite remember exactly were. Her brows knit together as she mentally ran through the possibilities in her mind, until Hotaru tried to pull the paper from the clipboard.

"No, no sweetie. This is Mommy's paper," she said as she freed the chart from his pudgy fingers.

"Midori," Sasuke began, interrupting Sakura from her thoughts. "I wanted to ask your permission to enroll Daisuke in our ninja Academy while he's here."

Midori seemed a little taken aback by the request. She hadn't really thought about what kind of education was offered in Konoha when she had made her request to come here. She wanted her son to become part of the community, but the thought of him becoming a ninja hadn't really occurred to her.

"Can I really become a ninja?" Daisuke jumped up in excitement at the thought of doing something so 'cool' as becoming like the father he never knew and the uncle he hardly knew.

"Being a ninja isn't for everyone," Sasuke explained, "and not everyone who graduates will become a ninja, but you will be taught some very important skills that will help you no matter what you decide to do with your life." Sasuke couldn't help but think of the dangers that awaited this boy for just being the heir of the Uchiha clan.

"Mom, can I?!" Daisuke asked excitedly.

Midori thought for a moment before answering. He truly seemed excited at the idea and this may be the only thing available to him as far as education. "OK," she answered, "But, I want you to take this seriously. This isn't something to do just for fun."

"Oh I will Kasan! Thanks, Ojisan," he said running over and giving Sasuke a hug. Sasuke didn't know how to react and just patted the boy on the back awkwardly.

Sakura and Midori talked a while longer before Sakura realized that Sasuke was looking for an escape and Hotaru was ready for a nap. They bid the pair good bye and walked out the door.

"Sasuke, I'm proud of you," said Sakura without looking up at her teammate as they walked through the halls of the hospital.

"How so?"

"You're just handling this whole 'Uncle' thing really well."

"Oh. Thank You," Sasuke mumbled a reply as he shoved his hands even deeper into his pockets. The Uchiha knew Sakura meant it as a compliment, but he was tired and needed some time to himself. He had some things at home that he needed to take care of. Things that he had physically buried from his past that he knew he would have to make some decisions about soon, but it would have to wait until he got at least a few hours of sleep.

Once they left the hospital's double doors, they parted ways. The rainclouds were closing in now and it would start raining soon. Better to get home as soon as possible. Sakura held on tight to her son and hopped onto the rooftops taking the quick way home. The rain started to fall just as they reached their apartment. They found Naruto inside, working on a stack of team reports that Tsunade had given him to look over.

* * *

Sasuke was sitting on the green tile roof of the new Uchiha residence. The winter rainy season was here and the latest storm was rolling in; the clouds were dark and angry. The lightning danced between the various layers within the clouds as they crept ever closer to Konoha. The storm made a constant low rumbling as it rolled ever closer. Sasuke remembered just such a storm; one he had caused what seemed like ages ago. He knew how to channel the lightning, so he wasn't worried about being hit by a stray lightning bolt, but maybe being hit was what he secretly wanted.

The rain began to fall and Sasuke finally allowed himself to feel all the emotions that he had been fighting over the past week. He let the rain do his crying for him for his tears had dried up long ago. The storm seemed to echo the feelings in his soul. He thought of what he knew of Itachi. It had been several days since their return to the village and the Hokage had finally let him read the letter. It showed another side that he knew his brother had a _long_ time ago, before he had entered the Academy. Itachi had cared a lot for Midori and his feelings for her were woven throughout his words. He had shown himself as a man, plain and simple. Not at all the monster Sasuke always remembered him as.

Itachi had loved that little boy long before he was born. It seemed like this kid was his way of trying to right the wrongs he felt he had done in his life. The letter also talked a little about how he wanted Sasuke to raise the child if anything should happen to Midori. Well, it looked like he might be the next in line for that job since the Hokage was having a hard time isolating the poison enough to extract it from Midori's heart. She and Sakura were still working on a solution, but it looked like they were getting nowhere.

Sasuke pulled out a scroll that he had kept hidden since his returned to Konoha, being careful not to let the rain touch it. He had stolen it from Madara. It was the sealing scroll that contained Itachi's body. Maybe it was time to turn it over to the Hokage. He ran his hand over the scroll as if trying to connect with what was hidden inside. The lightning crashed around him and he disappeared. Off to the Hokage's tower in the blink of an eye before he could change his mind.


	12. Family Life

I love all my loyal readers and I'm sorry it took this long to upload the newest chapter. Everything is crazy outside of the Narutoverse, so I hope you will forgive me. However, I had to tweak some stuff and it was good that I waited for the Uchiha battle to come out in order for some of this to make more sense. Enjoy.

**Naruto and Co. owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

**

* * *

****Chapter 12: Family Life**

Naruto and Sasuke were lost deep in conversation as they passed behind the Academy grounds on the way to the Hokage Mansion. The early afternoon light had not the power to warm the late winter air as the two men walked along, ignoring the students as they returned from their lunch break on their way to class. A few of them stopped to greet their sensei and his friend, but Sasuke's classes were done for the day and he had agreed to walk with his friend to the Hokage's office since he also had a meeting in the same building. They entered the Hokage Mansion and ascended the flight of stairs leading towards their final destination, passing many a fellow ninja as they went.

"I'm meeting Sakura afterwards, but after that, want to hit the training grounds?" Naruto said giving Sasuke a sideways glance.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. "They are releasing Midori from the hospital this afternoon. I will need to help them settled in first. Maybe tomorrow."

"It's only been a couple of months. I thought they weren't going to release her until they found a cure," said a surprised blonde.

"I'm surprised Sakura didn't tell you. They still need to do some research on the poison, but until then there is no use for her to stay in the hospital," his friend replied as they now entered the main hall leading to Tsunade's office

"Apparently you talk to Sakura more than I do. With her teaching that new prenatal exercise class and her regular work schedule combined with all the time I've been putting into this Chuunin exam, our schedules have been so crazy that the most time we spend together is while we're sleeping. I'll be glad when the tests are over and my schedule returns back to normal," Naruto replied sounding a little frustrated as he let out a heavy sigh. Before Sasuke had time to reply, a feminine voice calling to them from down the hall interrupted them.

"Ne, Taicho, what are you doing here," a familiar voice asked Naruto. Naruto looked up to see a young woman, a brunette, coming down the hall of the Hokage Mansion.

"Erika, how is everything going?" Naruto asked one of his former Chuunin teammates.

"Good. I've been preparing for the Jounin trials. I was just on my way to find Moegi so we could go train," the young kunoichi answered.

Sasuke cleared his throat and gave Naruto a glare. It took Naruto a second to realize what Sasuke was implying.

"Oh, Erika, this is Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto said while motioning to his best friend.

"Nice to meet you," Erika said with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Likewise," Sasuke said. Naruto watched their brief exchange. Sasuke was his usual cool self, but the fact that he wanted to be introduced to a girl was new, much to Naruto's amusement.

"Well, I've got to go. Ja ne," Erika said as she waived and continued down the hall.

Naruto shot Sasuke a look that spoke volumes and Sasuke just glared back at him.

"What?" Sasuke said acting annoyed.

"Nothing. It's just that I could have sworn that you actually looked interested in her," Naruto said trying not to laugh.

"Shut up, Dobe."

"I knew it!" Naruto said in triumph. "She's good at genjutsu. Actually, she's downright dangerous. After last time, are you sure you want to get tangled with another woman in an illusion?" Naruto said referring to Sasuke's encounter with the Akatsuki maiden.

Sasuke just glared at him in silent warning as they were now outside the Hokage's office. Sasuke's meeting was further down the hall and the Uchiha took his leave as Naruto entered to find several other Jounin including Kakashi and Genma in Tsunade's office waiting for the last of the proctors to arrive.

"Naruto, how is it I'm on time and you're late?" Kakashi teased his former student.

"Blame it on Sasuke. He had someone he wanted to meet," Naruto said motioning with his thumb over his shoulder toward the door behind him.

Kakashi looked on with a single eyebrow raised, but let the comment slide figuring it was something unimportant. The veteran Jounin turned his attention to the topic at hand, as they were reviewing the final preparations for the test.

Genma presented the Hokage with the schedule of the exam as well as who would be doing what. It was set up much the same as when Naruto and Sasuke had taken the test, but now Naruto would be the judge of the field exam, in place of Anko. Kakashi was now taking the place of Ibiki in the written exam. He wasn't as good at messing with minds like Ibiki, but he had his own ways of intimidation. Genma continued to explain their plans until everyone was briefed on their duties. "We want to challenge these kids, but let's not be reckless. Does that sound reasonable to you, Hokage-sama?" Genma concluded.

"That sounds like a good plan, Genma. We will start the trials in three days. That should give you enough time to prepare everything. Dismissed," the Hokage said.

Naruto was the only one left after everyone had gone.

"Tsunade-baachan, I've been thinking. Is this such a good idea to have some of our strongest Jounin distracted with the exams while Akatsuki is still out there gaining strength? With Genin coming from all over, doesn't that leave us wide open to an attack similar to the Sound/Sand invasion years ago?"

"Naruto, we can't wait for them to make a move while we have things we need to do for the sake of the village. Now don't worry yourself about the security of the village. One man defending his home is stronger than 10 hired soldiers. Besides, one day you'll be in charge of all this and it will be one of the first lessons you'll learn," Tsunade said turning to the taller blonde.

"I know all of that. I'm just not sure if leaving ourselves open is such a good idea. Maybe I shouldn't help after all and go after these guys instead," he replied.

"Ah, Naruto. You know this isn't just your problem. I'm sure Sasuke would like a piece of the action too. Besides, what would Sakura say if she heard you talking about handling things all on your own, huh?"

He gulped at the thought of Sakura sending him flying across the village for trying to save the world all by himself. He knew she hated not to be by his side facing it together.

The Hokage walked toward Naruto and put both hands on his cheeks causing him to bend down to where she could place a kiss on his hitai-ate. "I want you to be a part of these trials. If something happens, you will just have to trust the rest of us to take care of it. I believe in you Uzumaki Naruto, now, get out of here."

"Thanks Tsunade-baachan," he said with a red face. He was glad she only embarrassed him like this when no one was around. He was gone in a puff of smoke leaving the Hokage alone.

* * *

Sakura was working in the laboratory at the hospital on a sample of poison that they had finally managed to extract from Midori's body. It had a strange reddish tint to it and was reacting in a way that had left her with the feeling that she had worked with it before, but she couldn't place where. Thanks to Sasuke, she also had a similar sample that Shizune had pulled from the body of Itachi. No matter what they had tried, Midori's heart continued to get weaker. It was as if the cells of her heart would not react to any of their standard chakra based healing methods.

They had finally released Midori from the hospital because they had been unable to do more than make her more comfortable as her heart grew weaker. Sakura and Tsunade were at a dead end, but neither one wanted to give up because if this was Madara's poison of choice, the needed an antidote.

She placed the sample under the microscope and studied it a while, playing memories through her mind hoping she could remember where she had come across this chakra reaction before. She heard a knocking at the door before a blonde head peeked through the door.

"May I come in?" he said.

"Yeah, I'm trying to analyze this sample, but I can't figure out where I've seen it before," she replied waving her hand for him to come near. Naruto had his hands behind his back as he walked around the tall table to stand next to her. She turned to him and noticed the lipstick on his hitai-ate and she casually wiped it off with the sleeve of her lab coat. "Meeting with the Hokage, huh?" Sakura giggled knowing that only the Hokage wore that shade of lipstick. He just laughed and scratched the back of his head. She stood up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss before returning to her musings about the problem before her. Crossing her arms, her right hand rested on the scar that Naruto had given her as the four-tailed Kyuubi when an idea suddenly hit her.

"Naruto, I know you'll think I'm crazy, but can you call on a little of the Kyuubi's chakra for me?"

"Do what?" he said shocked.

"Naruto, this is a chakra based poison and it is acting like the wound you gave me on my arm. Please, just a little. I want to see if this sample reacts to the Kyuubi's chakra," she explained.

"Oh kay…," He closed his eyes and focused inwardly. Naruto came back to reality as his fingernails started to grow long and his fangs appeared; eyes glowing red. Sakura looked back at the sample as it too started to glow red as if resonating with Naruto. Even the sample that came from Itachi started to glow in response. Sakura's eyes grew wide. She had figured it out and she was excited and worried at the same time. If Madara had figured out how to make a poison from the Kyuubi's chakra, would there be a cure? If there was a cure, could it be something that would act like a poison to her husband?

She gave him a big hug before Naruto's fangs and nails had a chance to recede. "I was right! I have seen this before. Madara made this poison from the Nine-tails' chakra, somehow. Thank you for your help, my love," she said giving him a kiss on the lips. "Now I have a starting point to work from. I'll need a sample of your blood too. If this is a poison made from the Kyuubi's chakra, maybe the fact that you can withstand it will help in finding a cure for Midori and an antidote for this poison."

Naruto scratched his head as he was little confused as to what was going on, but when Sakura started to talk about any details of her job he usually was confused. Medical ninjutsu and poisons were way beyond his comprehension. He would just assume to stick to the battle related jutsu and leave the technical stuff to her.

Sakura took a sample of blood from her husband and he left her alone with her work. He knew she would be here a while now that she was on a roll. Before he left, he let her know that he would pick up Hotaru from the nursery since he was done for the day. He also needed to read over the applications from the Chuunin candidates. 'Knowing her, Sakura is going to be here late today. Guess I'm getting dinner tonight. Maybe we can go to Ichiraku's. I haven't been there in almost two weeks,' he thought to himself.

* * *

"Thank you for sharing your home with us, Sasuke-san," Midori said as they removed their shoes at the entryway of Sasuke's home. "I really didn't want to be a burden to you."

"It is alright," Sasuke replied as he picked up the boy's bag while Daisuke was removing his shoes. "This way I can better protect the two of you in case Akatsuki comes looking for you again."

"Do you really think they would come this far to find us?" Midori asked.

"They are weak, but they have attacked directly before. I have learned never to underestimate an enemy, especially when it has anything to do with family. Follow me. Your rooms are up the stairs," Sasuke said, leading the way.

"Midori, this will be your room. Daisuke, your room will be the one right next to your mother's," Sasuke instructed the young boy as he carried Daisuke's bag into the room and placed it on the bed.

"Really? My own room? I can't believe how big your house is Sasuke-ojisan," Daisuke said as he wondered around his new room.

"Hn, this house is actually smaller than the one I grew up in," Sasuke replied as he leaned on the door frame with his arms crossed. Sasuke watched the boy check out his surroundings a moment before announcing, "Dinner is at six. Come down when you're ready."

Sasuke left the boy to his own devises as the seven year old dumped his things out on his bed and began to find homes for what little he had in the way of belongings. Having grown up always on the run hadn't allowed them to have much in the way of personal belongings. The room was only filled with the bare necessities. There was a bed, a small dresser, and a table with a chair where Daisuke could do homework. Daisuke put the one photo he had on the table. It was a picture of him and his mom that was taken about a year ago. Midori had her arms around her son with a smile on her face, but Daisuke was trying his best to look grown up and had his arms crossed. However, his mom must have said something to make him smile because his serious expression was in the process of becoming a smile when the photographer had taken the picture.

Dinner was quiet as the three of them sat around the kitchen table. Daisuke was use to talking more at mealtimes, but he was starting to learn how to read his uncle, and had learned that Sasuke liked things on the quiet side. Glancing around the room, he noticed something on the wall that looked out of place. It was a fan painted on a piece of plastered wood, weather-beaten and soiled. The fan was white and red, the same design he had seen on his uncles clothing. One thing that was different was a diamond shaped hole near the center with fractures spreading out from it.

"Sasuke-ojisan, what's that?" the boy asked pointing to the artifact.

Sasuke glanced in the direction the boy was pointing and saw the piece of the old compound wall that he had mounted in the common room that was visible from the kitchen. "That is the Uchiha family crest. I keep it as a reminder," Sasuke answered solemnly. He avoided eye contact with the miniature version of Itachi as he let out a heavy sigh before returning his attention to the meal before him. The boy had a right to know more, but he was unsure of how much to reveal to him about the family history.

"A reminder of what?" the naïve boy asked.

"Daisuke, I think you've asked enough questions of your uncle for one day. Please finish your meal," his mother said having read Sasuke's reaction much better than the boy had.

"It's alright, Midori. The boy needs to learn sometime," Sasuke began. He closed his eyes as if to sort through the memories before he spoke. "Our family crest once represented power in the village. When your father was a teenager, our family went through a very hard time. Right after a disagreement with our father, your grandfather, and some others from our clan, he threw a kunai at that very crest that was once a part of the compound wall, leaving that hole you see in the middle. Not long after that, our entire family was massacred leaving just me, your father, and Madara, the man who is after you, as the only remaining Uchiha.

"The Uchiha clan has been gifted and cursed by the Sharingan (Sasuke activates his to show the boy what he's talking about). This ability is genetic and can be used only by members of the Uchiha clan or by someone who has an eye transplanted from a member of our clan. Not everyone develops it, but those that do have the potential to become powerful ninja. However, this power is what caused us to kill each other almost to the point of extinction. Every high level jutsu has its price; this one is no exception. Not even your father was powerful enough to escape the consequences tied to the Sharingan. If it wasn't for a good friend of mine,_ I_ would have been just another of our countless ancestors caught up in this quest for power.

"A little over a year ago, I found that piece of wall after a fire burned down all the buildings in the old compound. I keep it as a reminder of your father and our family. It serves as a reminder of the high price of power. Someday, I'll tell you the full story, but I think that's enough for tonight."

Daisuke sat wide-eyed as he looked at his uncle, taking in what he had just said. This was also the first time he had heard his uncle speak this much and he hadn't realized that he had been born into such a story of tragedy. The boy remained thoughtful for a moment before he asked, "Ojisan, would it be alright if I could put the crest on my cloths too, just like you do?"

Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan, but continued to study the boy, attempting to read him, to see if the boy was truly being sincere in his request. "I will warn you that there are those in the village that will look down on you if you wear this symbol," Sasuke explained.

"That's OK. I want to be able to remember where I come from too," Daisuke said with a confident smile.

"Are you sure, Daisuke?" his mother asked. She was a little worried that the boy hadn't understood all that his uncle was implying.

Finding no deceit in his nephew's demeanor, Sasuke replied, "If that is what you want."

Even though Daisuke still acted very much the child, it always came as a surprise at how mature the seven year old could be. Naruto had been right. Being an Uchiha was a hard life and it was something he had in common with Daisuke, who had grown up without a father and a home. It amazed him how the boy seemed to take it in stride. He was proud at how Daisuke was taking what little of the story he had told the boy and the thought tugged at the corners of Sasuke's mouth, causing a small smile to appear. It didn't make the thought of telling his nephew who killed their clan any easier, but for now he wanted the boy to learn a little bit about family history before he told Daisuke his father's entire story. Maybe having Daisuke around would be a good thing after all.

* * *

Sakura came home to the sound of water splashing and giggles coming from the bathroom. She removed her shoes before going to see what was causing all that giggling. She found Naruto squirting a giggling redhead in the bathtub who in turn thought it was funny to send a big wave of water back at his daddy. Naruto was rather soaked by the time she had found them mid water fight and she didn't know who the bigger kid really was. She laughed at the picture before her as water dripped from her husband's long blonde locks into his eyes and Hotaru had the biggest grin he could manage on his face. She was also glad the bathroom was in the traditional style with a drain in the floor allowing shower water or overflow from the tub to drain away.

"Mommy!" Hotaru called causing Naruto to look up in a quick enough motion causing him to slip and fall on his backside.

"Ite…" he said rubbing his backside.

"So this is what you call getting our son ready for bed, huh?" said the pink haired kunoichi in between giggles.

"Sakura-chan, I was starting to wonder if you were coming home tonight," he said as he got up off the wet bathroom floor.

"Sorry, I got so caught up in work and I lost track of time." She picked up the wet toddler and a towel and began to towel Hotaru off before she allowed him to hug her. "So, what's for dinner? I'm starving."

"Noonals! Noonals!" exclaimed the cherub in her arms.

"We went to Ichiraku's for dinner, but I brought you home some donburi. It's in the refrigerator," he said toweling off his hair as he walked toward the kitchen to start warming up her dinner.

"Nooonals!" cried the excited toddler again.

"No honey, you've had enough _noodles_," she said emphasizing the word noodles. "You can share mommy's donburi if you like."

"Noonals!"

"Did he eat anything besides noodles?" she asked as she walked into Hotaru's room to start getting him dressed for bed.

Naruto poked his head in through the door. He pulled a new shirt over his head before he spoke. "Don't worry, he ate other stuff too. I guess he was just excited about getting to eat out instead of our normal routine. It was cute how his eyes got really big at the small bowl of ramen, minus the soup, that old man Teuchi made just for him. He couldn't even wait for me to feed him," Naruto recalled. "Speaking of which, he said Ayame has been meaning to ask you over for a play date."

"I've been meaning to pick up some more cooking tips from her anyway. I hope I have time with all this work that has been piling up at the hospital." She finished getting Hotaru ready for bed and brought him out with a board book to read while she ate dinner. Her baby bump was starting to show and she had to rest Hotaru on her hip in such a way that he didn't end up sitting on top of it. "Mmm, looks good. Thank you for getting dinner tonight," she said giving Naruto a kiss on the cheek as he set out the bowls for her on the table. She handed him the squirming toddler and they went off to the couch to read. She could hear them reading while she ate.

"What's this?" Naruto said pointing to a picture.

"Geek!"

"Leek," he corrected trying to stifle a laugh. "OK, how about this one?"

"Gape!"

"Grape. And this one?" he said after turning a page.

"Cheerwy!" he said referring to the cherry.

"Daddy!" Hotaru said with a big grin as he pointed to a picture of a cartoon fox.

"Nooo…that is a fox. Nice try though," Naruto replied, looking a little annoyed. He could hear Sakura coughing in the background, having swallowed her food wrong when she tried not to laugh at her little boy's answer.

They continued until Hotaru let out a yawn signaling time for bed. Naruto had the toddler put to bed by the time Sakura was finished with dinner. He was already sitting on the couch by the time she was finished washing the dishes; reading over applications. She made herself some tea and joined him on the couch.

"Are those the applications for the possible Chuunin?" his wife asked as she put her bare feet in his lap hoping that he would take the hint and work out some of the ache from working in the lab all afternoon.

"Yeah, looks like we got stuck with a couple of characters this time around. We'll see who's laughing by the end of the test, dattebayo," he said with a small lopsided smile on his lips as he studied their applications. "Was it you who taught Hotaru what a fox was?" he asked with a frown as he continued reading through the applications.

"I have no idea where he picked that up from," his wife said. She took a careful sip of her hot tea when a look of realization spread across her face. "Actually, now that I think of it, Sai was working on a Kyuubi painting last time we were over at his place," Sakura replied.

"Leave it to Sai to try and explain to Hotaru something like the Kyuubi. Now all he'll remember is Daddy equals fox. Speaking of which, any luck with that poison?" he said taking the hint as he put down his paperwork and started massaging her feet.

"No. I was hoping that your blood might have an enzyme in it that I could use to make an antidote. I'm starting to think your seal does more than just hold the Kyuubi. I've got a few more ideas left to try though and I'll talk to Tsunade-shisou in the morning and see if maybe she can think of something I might have missed. At least we know what it's made from. I just hope that if there is any information out there that it isn't sealed." Her foot rub was starting to feel really good. She set her teacup down and leaned back on the couch. "Hmmm, that feels incredible."

"Just because I'm going to be around more this year doesn't mean you should get use to it, dattebayo," he said with a fox like grin running a finger up the center of her foot. Sakura wasn't expecting him to tickle her foot and would have kicked him in the nose by accident if he hadn't kept a hold of her ankle.

"Stop that!"

"Make me." He had that look in his eyes that she knew meant trouble for her.

"Na-ru-to! Stop that!" she growled trying to free her feet from his grasp. Naruto torturing her very ticklish feet was not what she had had in mind.

He pulled her further down onto the couch by her ankles and leaned over her. "No." He leaned over her and pressed his soft warm lips into hers taking away all of the fight in her as she melted into his kiss. He released her from the kiss after several minutes in order to catch his breath. She was completely lost in his blue eyes as he brushed some of her pink hair out of her face. "I know you're only trying to do your job, but don't work so hard. I'm worried about you," he said as his gaze was a mixture between worried and lustful.

"I'll be all right as long as I have you to rub my feet," she softly retorted.

He smiled the smile he reserved only for her and gave her another long, passionate kiss. "It isn't your feet I have in mind." Naruto's kiss started with her lips, moving to her jaw line, then her neck. His hands feeling up and down what he could reach of her back and sides as if trying to memorize every inch of them. He pulled her tightly toward him leaving no space between them.

Ever since they started dating, he always said he didn't want anything between them. Sometimes this referred to emotional things, sometimes physical things. In the beginning it was usually emotional things, Sasuke included. After a particularly hard time before they became engaged, they had decided that they would tell each other everything so that they could figure it out together. Now, her growing form was something physically getting between them, but he only said it was all her and that it didn't matter how awkward it was, he wanted there to be nothing between them.

She reached up into his shaggy blonde hair letting her fingers gently massage his neck and scalp as he kissed her neck. She let out soft moans as he did so and she forgot all about work and life. She didn't know how he did this to her, but it was all worth it in the end.

Naruto picked her up in one fluid motion and carried her off to the bedroom. "This may be the last chance I get for a while to romance my bride before the Chuunin exam begins," he said as he carried her. He closed the door behind them with his foot, shutting out the world around them.


	13. Chuunin Exams Part I

Hai, hai. I know it has been a while since I updated this story, but 'tis the season here in the US and writer's block didn't help. Anyway, I still love all my reviewers and my favoriters.

Hope you have a good Christmas as I have a feeling it will be a Christmas miracle if I get a chapter out before then.

**Naruto and Company belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The story is all mine, but Konoha tradition was in charge of this chapter. **

* * *

**Chapter 13: The Chuunin Exams-Part I**

The young Sage waited on the top of the Academy, looking down on the arriving teams. It was the morning of the first test of the Chuunin exams and the Genin were slowly making their way into the building. As he gazed down into the yard, sitting on his heels on the iron railing with his right arm resting on the higher of the two knees, all he could think about was how nostalgic it all was. From up here on the roof, Naruto was able to see the sakura trees in full bloom across the road from the Academy, their petals dancing and falling gracefully to the ground as the breeze blew gently through the outstretched branches. In the background, he could hear a class in the yard behind the building practicing their shuriken and kunai techniques. Every once in a while he could hear the correction of a certain raven-haired man on how to hold the tools of their trade.

They came in groups of three, the traditional number. It had always been that way and probably always would be. Sixty teams in all from all over the ninja world. About half were from Konoha, a fourth from Suna and the rest a mixture of Mizu, Grass, Iwa, Kumo and even a team from Ame. Naruto knew that at least half of the teams would not make it past the first exam. Rookies passing their first time taking the test had not happened in a long time, at least not since Naruto became a Jounin. Kakashi would have his way with them this morning and then it would be his turn. The wind whipped his Sage coat behind him, held down only by the scroll on his back. In a flash, he was gone.

* * *

In one of the larger lecture halls of the Academy, Naruto had just finished explaining the next phase of the exam process to the assembled Jounin Instructors when Tora came to the door to let his Taicho know that someone was waiting to speak with him down the hall. Taking his leave, Naruto headed off to a room down the hall wondering who would want to see him during the middle of the Chuunin exams. When he arrived at his destination, he found Sakura treating a young Genin that apparently had had a rough morning.

"What happened?" Naruto asked the pink haired Medic.

"I guess he mouthed off to someone waiting to take the test and ended up the looser," she replied. "I don't think he's going to be picking any more fights with out of town shinobi any time soon."

Naruto knelt down next to the lad who was sitting on the floor as Sakura healed a gash to his cheek that ran under a very black eye. "You weren't part of the Chuunin exams were you?" the blonde Jounin asked the kid who wasn't much older than 12.

"No, I was on my way to meet with my team when I bumped into some guy from Mizu," the kid replied with a wince as Sakura was working on a very tender part of his face.

"Do you remember what the kid looked like?"

"Kinda tall and scrawny with brown hair and a scar going from his forehead down to his right cheek. I told him to watch where he was going when he bumped into me. Then he said that I looked too inexperienced to be a shinobi before he gave me this," the young man said as he pointed to his wound.

"I know the one you're talking about. Next time you'll know not to mouth off unless you're ready to back it up in a fight," Naruto said. Sakura was finished with mending the wound and had already put a bandage on him while they spoke.

"All done. Now go find your team and be more careful," Sakura advised.

"Hai Sensei," he sheepishly replied before he made his exit.

"Sound familiar?" Sakura asked her husband.

"Yea, good thing I heal fast. Just one of those lessons some of us have to learn the hard way," he replied with a lopsided grin. "I know which kid he's talking about too. I had a feeling that one would be trouble when I read the application, dattebayo."

"Well, unless there are any more injuries, I'm going back to the hospital. I'll see you in five days then?" Sakura said as she packed up her supplies.

"I thought you were going to help with the injured Genin?" Naruto asked with brows knit.

"I'll meet you at the tower. Shizune and her team are going to help you team during the test. Maybe you would have remembered that little detail if you had been paying attention in our meeting yesterday," she chided.

"Sorry, I got distracted," he said with a goofy smile. "Besides, how can I concentrate when there is a sexy, pink haired medic in the same room?"

Naruto caught her wrist and pulled her into a quick hug. Sakura just shook her head in response knowing that he was trying to flirt his way out of forgetting certain details.

"You are such a baka, you know that don't you? Behave yourself," Sakura said.

She gave him a quick kiss, eased herself out of his grasp, and headed down the hall. All he could think about was the fact that the worst thing about this test was not sleeping by her side for the next five nights. Once she had disappeared from his sight, he headed down the hall, as it was time to make his entrance.

* * *

"That's it? That's the 10th question?" a young Iwa Kunoichi complained with a very indignant expression on her face.

The man her question was aimed at was casually leaning against the chalkboard with his arms crossed as if this was just another ordinary day to him. Kakashi had just given his version of the 10th question to the group of Genin and it seems that there were 20 teams of Genin with enough determination to complete the test at any cost. "Hai, that's it. As a team leader, you are expected to do whatever it takes to make sure that your mission is a success. You all passed because you proved that you had the determination to succeed and it is now time for part two of the exam. Come on up Naruto," Kakashi called to the red and orange clad shinobi that had appeared in the back of the room.

Naruto walked forward through the desks, his toad contract just barely fitting in between as he came forward. Many of the Genin were surprised at his presence, as most of them had not noticed him entering the room. Several Genin were wondering if this was the legendary Sage in their history books.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, I thought you were going to make it easy on me but it looks like about a third of them passed," Naruto teased his former sensei when he made it to the front of the room.

"They have the determination to make it this far. It's up to you to test what they are made of," Kakashi simply replied in his blasé manner.

"With pleasure," Naruto said, turning toward the group with a fox like grin that made some of the more inexperienced Genin gulp. "Listen up. My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I will be in charge of the second exam. You may be determined now, but it is my job to see if you can survive, dattebayo. I will meet you tomorrow morning at 1pm at training grounds 44, more commonly known as the Forest of Death. I have given your Jounin Instructors all the information about the test, so direct any questions you have to them. Treat this like any normal mission and bring whatever gear you will need with you," Naruto said, arms crossed as he stared down on the group of Genin.

"Anoza, why do they call it the Forest of Death?" a Genin from Ame asked.

"Because, there are many things in that forest that can severely maim and even kill you and I'm not talking about anyone sitting here, dattebayo," the blonde Jounin replied. "Do not underestimate anything about this test and that includes me."

"I ain't scared of you. I can handle anything you throw at me!" challenged a determined young man from Suna.

"We'll see about that," Naruto said. Without any warning, a clone came up behind the young Suna shinobi and whispered in his ear, "But I warn you, even the one you may think of as dead last can beat the strongest. Just ask your Kazekage what happened his first year at the Chuunin exams."

The young man was wide eyed as he heard these words. Everyone is Suna knew that their Kazekage had only lost to two people in his life. A bead of sweat ran down his brow as he could feel the intensity of the chakra coming from the mere clone behind him.

"Ne, are you're the one that helped save the Kazekage?" the Suna Genin asked in a whisper.

"Yep," was all the clone replied in a hushed voice. The clone gave a satisfied smirk, winked at the original, and disappeared in a swirl of smoke leaving many of the other Genin to wonder what the clone had whispered to the Suna Genin before he dispelled.

"Well that does it. Congratulations on passing the first part of the exam. Dismissed!" Naruto said as the Genin got up and found their other team members before leaving the room.

"What was that about?" Kakashi asked the blonde shinobi.

"I just told him what happened when Gaara underestimated an opponent," Naruto replied with a smirk.

Kakashi just sighed and shook his head. The last of the Genin filed out the door, followed by Naruto and the other Chuunin who were on their way to finish the preparations for the second phase of the exam. That just left Kakashi to collect the exam papers left on the desks. He quickly glanced at the papers, smiling under his mask at the answers of those that had made copies of copied information, showing just how much word of mouth information could really become inaccurate.

* * *

The Chuunin assigned to the Exam were assembled in front of the main gate of the Forest of Death waiting for final instruction from the Jounin before them.

"Tiacho, are those the scrolls for the exam?" Erika asked Naruto as he stood before them with a box under his arm.

"Hai, I just put the finishing touches on them last night, dattebayo," Naruto replied as he handed the box to the Genjutsu mistress. "I had to tweek the summoning seal so that one of you would be summoned quickly if the seal on the scroll is broken more than a couple of inches. Make sure to knock them out for long enough that they'll stay asleep until Shizune's teams pick them up at the end of the test. I need the rest of you to take up your assigned positions. Use the radio if you see anything out of the ordinary or if you encounter trouble from someone not cleared to enter the training field. DO NOT let in any Jounin into the training ground until we signal that time is up."

"Boss, what do we do with them once the time is up?" Konohamaru asked.

"Those of you that are not on security duty will help Shizune and her teams recover the fallen teams or anyone who fails and needs medical attention. Are there any other questions?" Seeing none he said, "Yosh. Dismissed."

"OS," the assembled Chuunin replied. All but the three Chuunin on his team, Tora, Ren, and Erika, disappeared to their respective positions around the gates of the training grounds. Some were purely for security and the rest were to go to the gates and unlock them when the time was right. Naruto nodded to an ANBU hidden deep within the trees, letting him know to inform the Hokage that everything was ready. They didn't have to wait long for those that had passed the first test to start showing up. Every one of them had their tough faces on, but Naruto could sense fear coming from more than a few of them.

By the appointed time, all the teams had arrived. Naruto stood with his back to the fence, the "Warning, You May Die" sign just to his left. This sign did not go unnoticed by the Genin, causing some of them to whisper amongst themselves if this training ground was really so dangerous that it required such a warning. Naruto couldn't help but smile to himself at the naivety of some of them. It reminded him of himself when he was that age, full of dogged determination without a clue. When it was 1 O'clock on the dot, Naruto cleared his throat to call the teams to attention.

"Alright, it's time to start the exam. Before I can let everyone enter the training grounds, I need to go over the point of this exam. First off, I need all of you to pay attention to me. That's right, up here," Naruto called to a tall, lanky boy with brown hair with a scared face, wearing a Mizu hitai-ate, that was busy talking to his teammates in the back of the crowd. The boy rolled his eyes at the Jounin, only to get a single raised eyebrow in return from Naruto. "As I expected," Naruto said under his breath.

Naruto pulled a three pronged Kunai out of his pack and with a flick of his wrist sent it flying in the direction of the arrogant teen. It just barely missed him and landed about half a meter behind the Mizu Genin. The teen smirked when the kunai passed him until he could see the shadow appear on the ground before him of a tall figure standing behind him. He looked at where the Jounin in charge of the exam should have been standing only to find that he was missing. The team from Iwa that was standing closest to them could be heard mumbling something about the "Yellow Flash".

"I hear you had a fight with one of Konoha's Genin before the first exam. Now you are mouthing off instead of listening. I suppose that means you know what I'm going to say to you since you already know it all?" Naruto asked in a hushed voice that made those around them get the chills. "I was once a mouthy idiot too. But if you can't listen to directions, then you might as well leave right now, because you are as good as dead."

"Yes, sir," the teen said sounding a little shook up, even though he was still trying to act the tough guy.

"Good, now, the object of this test is for those of you here to battle over these scrolls," Naruto said in a loud voice, holding up two scrolls of different color as he walked back toward the fence. "You will be given one of these scrolls. Your objective is to get a copy of both scrolls and make it to the center tower in five days."

He went on to explain the rules of the test, similar to when he had first gone through it when the Sandaime was still alive. The rules were still the same. It was an ultimate survival test, one meant to push them to the edge of their abilities, both physically and mentally. One Iwa Genin wanted to know why all three teammates had to complete the exam.

"Because, 'those that break the rules and regulations are regarded as scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum!'" Naruto said quoting the words that Uchiha Obito had said to Kakashi all those years ago. This confused several Genin, but it didn't take those with more experience to grasp what the Jounin was saying. "Now, fill out these consent forms and turn them in to receive your scrolls. Once you do that, go to your appointed gate and wait. We will begin at exactly 2 pm."

The Genin followed his directions and soon the survival test began.

* * *

Naruto stayed in the upper canopy as he leapt from tree to tree on his way to the tower. This way he would stay out of the way of most of the Genin who tended to travel more in the middle of the giant trees. The night sky was clear save the occasional whisp of a cloud that was not even dense enough to block the light of the stars. Naruto had his Chuunin teams monitoring the perimeter of the forest while he traveled to the tower in preparation for the Genin and their Jounin Instructors. He made sure to mask his chakra so that the Genin wouldn't know he was high above them as he traveled without a sound, making the most of the skills he had picked up in ANBU. The beauty of the night sky did not escape his attention, though he had a lot on his mind as he went.

The young Sage made to go around a clearing in the trees as he crossed the small river that cut across the training grounds. He could see a group of Genin huddled together near the bank of the river, enjoying the small break they had earned as they shared a meager meal together. Naruto couldn't help but smile a half smile as he paused long enough to see that the Genin had relaxed enough to act like typical teenagers for a moment; laughing and joking with each other as they ate. It seemed like a lifetime ago when he was just one of those teens fighting for survival. Naruto shook the memories out of forefront of his thoughts and continued on his way.

* * *

Sakura, clad only in her pajamas, walked through the living room, toddler half-asleep on her shoulder as she paced back and forth. Hotaru was having a hard time falling asleep without his Daddy and he would not let her lay him in his little bed. He had already outgrown the crib more because he could climb out of it with ease and it wouldn't be too long before they would need it for the new baby. Walking near the window, Sakura could see a few stars that were bright enough to reach earthward through the glow given off by the streetlamps below.

Hotaru snuggled closer to the crook of his mother's neck as she looked out on the quiet village, quietly sucking on his thumb for comfort. Only civilians could be seen out and about at this hour since the majority of the ninja were either on missions, on patrol, or helping with the exams. Sakura couldn't help but reminisce about the two exams she had been a part of; especially the first time when she went through it as a part of team 7. It had been the hardest time they had gone through as a team, but it was still one of the best times they had had growing up. Letting out a deep sigh, she let her thoughts linger on one knucklehead ninja as she looked out toward the direction of training ground 44. She knew that he would be OK, but she said a silent prayer for him anyway before she walked back to her room where she and Hotaru would spend the night. Hotaru wasn't the only one having a hard time sleeping without Naruto.

* * *

Naruto walked into the main hall where all the Genin would soon gather. It was one of the few places time hadn't touched. Sure, the floor was rebuilt as it was after almost every Chuunin exam, but the gigantic arm statue in the Ram sign still stood at the back of the small stage. Adjusting the earpiece around his ear that connected him to the Chuunin providing security, Naruto didn't have to wait long before the lead medic entered the room. Sakura simply smiled at her husband as she walked toward him since being in public meant she had to behave herself in front of the Hokage and the Chuunin candidates.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey."

"Shizune said to let you know that they are almost done rounding up the fallen teams and that they will be on their way to the hospital," Sakura said as she walked up to him. She was wearing a dress that did a good job at hiding her growing figure, since she didn't want any out of town Ninja to know her current condition, just in case.

"Good."

"Hey, is something wrong?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Just have a lot to keep track of I guess," he replied, hiding behind a smile.

"Feels a little weird to be the one giving the test, huh?" Sakura said, guessing at why he was deep in thought.

"You know I get it now, the point of this whole test. I just wish I had at least a little bit of a clue while we were here what was expected of us. I was so focused on winning that I never realized that the way this is set up is to force those that are ready to be leaders to step up and take the lead. I always wonder what would have happened if we had had a normal exam thought. That snake teme screwed it up for our team didn't he, dattebayo," the blonde Jounin said.

"There is no way to know what would have happened if he hadn't, but I didn't respect you until after you stood up to him. I really don't want to know what would have been, when what I have because of it was worth it in the end," Sakura replied as she laid her hand on her swollen abdomen. "Besides, how else would I have been able to become a Chuunin long before either of my two boys, hmmm?"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined, pouting at the fact that it had taken him so long to become a Chuunin.

Sakura was laughing at his annoyed expression when Temari walked in followed by Shikamaru.

"What's so funny?" Temari asked as they had clearly interrupted the couple's conversation.

"She's picking on me," Naruto whined before he got a smack to the back of the head from his wife. "Ite! See."

Temari rolled her eyes at the two Konoha Jounin. "Naruto, I'm glad to see that being a proctor for the test hasn't done any damage to your sense of humor," the Suna kunoichi teased.

"And I suppose your interests here are strictly professional?" Naruto teased, as he raised a single eyebrow.

"Hey, I've got a job to do just like you Leaf ninja," she protested, crossing her arms across her chest. "Besides, the Kazekage can trust me not to mix business with pleasure."

"So that was a meeting you two were having upstairs?" Naruto said, not expecting an answer while Temari started blushing from embarrassment. Shikamaru just groaned, mumbled 'mendokuse' under his breath, and rolled his eyes.

By this time, the rest of the examiners and Jounin Instructors started to arrive, making their way to their position on the small stage. Tsunade was the last one to enter and took her place at the front and center of the little stage. The Genin were then allowed to come into the stadium standing in their respective teams in formation before them. Not a single one this year escaped injury as was to be expected. They all looked browbeaten and ready to collapse, but they had completed the test and it had given them confidence in themselves and their teammates.

It was quiet the contrast visually when all the Jounin instructors stood behind Tsunade, their mannerisms speaking volumes of experience in contrast to the dirty, tired, and worn appearances of the teams on the lower level in front of them. Tsunade was framed on either side by her examiners with Sakura immediately to her right and Naruto on her left. Sakura looked like a kunoichi that an opponent would need to think twice about before approaching, even as the red dress she wore only barley hid the fact that she had precious cargo. Naruto looked impressive in his Sage coat, slightly dirty from spending five days in the elements along with the examinees. Kakashi stood on Sakura's other side, hands in his pockets looking as uninterested as always but still had the air of someone you didn't want to mess with. Temari, Genma, and the rest of the testing team stood on either side, waiting for the Hokage to speak. All in all it was an impressive sight that would be burned into the memories of the candidates before them.

Naruto cleared his throat and addressed the remaining Genin, four teams in all, congratulating them on making it to the end and passing the second phase of the exam. He then turned it over to Tsunade who then explained the historic purpose of the joint Chuunin exam and the steps that followed.

Once she had finished her semi-annual speech, Tsunade turned to her exam team and said in a hushed tone, "So what do you think? Should we narrow it down even further, or do we want to go ahead with the tournament?"

"We are under the maximum number for Genin to move on to the final exam," Genma replied. "I think that even with this number the test should move right along at a fast enough pace that it would be worth it for both the applicants and the audience."

"I agree with Genma. There is enough variety in the fighting styles of the applicants that it should be a good show of skill for everyone," Naruto said.

Temari and Kakashi nodded their agreement.

"Then it is decided," the Hokage said. Turning back toward the Genin she said in a loud, clear voice, "We will begin the next phase of the exam. Naruto will pass around the box. You will draw a number from this box that will determine your fighting order."

Once that was done, the Genin called out their numbers and the tournament was decided. It would be Shikamaru's team, the team from Suna, the team from Mizu, and a team from Iwa. It promised to be an interesting match as no two Genin's skills were alike. Tsunade took questions regarding the final exam before everyone was dismissed, leaving the exam team and their respective Chuunin to continue in their cleanup.

* * *

The yard was littered with kunai and shuriken, evidence of the practice session ending only a short while ago. Sasuke could see the stars shining brightly from where he sat on the steps that led from the veranda to the practice yard since most of the vendors in the neighboring shopping district had gone home for the day, their shops dark and empty. Idly swinging a kunai by the handle on a single finger, Sasuke was lost deep in thought. He could no longer hear any sounds coming from inside the house and figured that Midori and Daisuke had retired for the evening. He sat there for quite some time before he heard a creek in the floorboards behind him.

"Come on out," Sasuke called to the figure in the shadows.

"Watcha doing, Ojisan?" Daisuke asked as his bare feet brought him towards his uncle. He sat down on the top step next to Sasuke and hugged his knees to his chest as he looked out at the night sky.

Sasuke avoided answering the question, but instead asked, "Don't you have homework?"

"Na, I finished it already. Kasan wasn't feeling good and went to bed, so I thought I'd come out here and watch you practice," the boy said with a small smile filled with pride from having just witnessed the elder Uchiha's skill.

They sat there in silence for a while as they watched the night sky. It was no longer an uncomfortable silence between them as they were both getting use to each other's personalities. Sasuke quietly got up from where they sat and gathered up his tools. Before disappearing into the house he asked, "Would you like to go to the final round of the Chuunin exam with me?"

"Boy, would I ever!" the young boy replied, his entire face lit up with excitement.

"We will leave at 9. Be ready," Sasuke stated, disappearing into the dark inner rooms.

"Goodnight, Ojisan," Daisuke replied. 'Yes!' he said to himself as he turned to go back inside, bounding up the stairs to his room with excitement. He did not witness the small smile Sasuke gave from the shadows at the boy's antics before he entered the quiet sanctuary of his own room.


	14. Chuunin Exams Part II

Thanks for all the reviews and favorites. I always love hearing from you guys and it helps me to keep going on these chapters. So, here is the next one. Enjoy.

Japanese words:

senbei (rice crackers)

Tsubasa (wing)

Ninpo: Yama Oni no Justu (Ninja Art: Mountain Ogre technique)

**Naruto and Company belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The story is all mine. **

**Chapter 14: Chuunin Exams-Final Round**

The festive atmosphere permeated the air as they sat waiting for the final phase of the Chuunin exams to begin. The Jounin members of the original Rookie 12 that were not part of security were sitting together with their families in the southern most section of the arena. The sunny skies and the warm spring air made it the perfect day to hold the trials. With his part of the exam already completed, Naruto was able to sit with his family though he was still armed to the teeth as most of the Jounin were just in case someone wanted to crash the party. The blonde Jounin was sitting in between Sakura and Sasuke with Hotaru on his lap, the little boy held a stuffed version of Pakun that Naruto had won for him at the festival the previous evening. Sasuke had brought his nephew along with him and the boy was having a hard time sitting still in his seat due to the excitement at attending his first Chuunin exam tournament.

They could see a boy, about the same age as Daisuke coming toward them. It was Kurenai and Asuma's son, Seimei and he was in the same class as Daisuke at the Academy. Seimei had a similar personality to his cousin Konohamaru and he and Daisuke had become the best of friends. Even though both boys had strong male role models, neither one had a father and that had given them something in common. It made the adults smile that the war-children were able to overcome that which their parents could not.

Kurenai had permitted him to sit with his godfather, Shikamaru, and Daisuke during the competition and Sasuke was relieved that someone else held his nephew's attention. The boys watched the competition with interest and were busy sharing their opinions about each of the competitors. Daisuke was amazed at how much Seimei already knew about the competitors and techniques they were using. Before long, Sasuke could tell that the two boys were up to something when they started talking secretively to each other. Sasuke didn't have to wonder what they were up to much longer when Daisuke caught his attention to ask him a question.

"Ojisan, can I go with Seimei and get some dango?" Daisuke asked Sasuke with big puppy dog eyes.

"I don't think I like the idea of you two going off alone in this crowd," Sasuke replied and it seemed that Seimei was getting the same reaction from Shikamaru when he asked his godfather the same question.

"I'll go with them. I was thinking of going to get something to eat anyway," offered one of Shikamaru's Genin who was sitting behind his sensei, Akamichi Sasaki, a fourteen-year-old boy who was a cousin of Choji's.

Sasuke just sighed and said, "Fine, but be back here as fast as you can."

"Thanks, Ojisan," Daisuke said before he held out his hand. "Um, I kinda need some money."

Sasuke just groaned and reached into his pocket for just enough ryu to cover the boy's expenses. He was ignoring Naruto's apparent amusement at the situation. "Fine, but bring me back something."

"What kind of dango do you want?" the boy asked.

"I don't like sweets. Bring me back a bag of senbei," Sasuke replied.

"Yosh," Daisuke replied and the three boys took off toward the concession stands.

Sasuke turned back toward the action in the arena, still ignoring the fox like grin on the man next to him. Several moments passed and the boys still had not returned from their snack run. Sasuke glanced around nervously every so often, but did not see any sign of them. Naruto noticed his distraction as well as Shino and the Naras who was sitting just behind Sakura. Hotaru had squirmed onto his Mother's lap and was busy trying to get her attention as she was deep in conversation with Ino.

"How long has it been since they went for food?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

"A little too long, but I'm going to give him a couple more minutes before I go look for him," the older Uchiha replied.

Shikamaru also looked a little worried and started to flick Asuma's lighter on and off before Temari put her hand on top of his which stopped his nervous habit mid flick. Kurenai walked down the stairs toward them and Sasuke was starting to get a bad feeling that something was wrong. Seimei's mom stopped next to where they were sitting and she became concerned when she didn't see her son with them. Sasuke looked up at her and met her red eyes with his own coal black ones.

"Have you seen Seimei?" the Genjustu mistress asked.

"Not since he and Daisuke left to go get something to eat," Sasuke replied. "The Akamichi boy went with them, but they should have been back by now."

"Do you think something happened?" Kurenai asked, not attempting to hide the worry in her voice. Seimei was independent and could take care of himself, but he was still only seven and it didn't take much for him to get in trouble. Sasuke stood up and began to search the crowd a little more fervently for any sign of his nephew. Something was wrong and he could feel it now. Kurenai nodded to Shino who let fly several kikaichu.

"I will search for the boys with my kikaichu. Why? Because searching for people over great distances in a short amount of time is what they are good at," Shino stated. Several minutes passed and a single kikaichu landed on the outstretched finger of Shino. He held it up eye level as if communicating with it as it buzzed its wings. "They have found the boys. They are with someone on the other side of the stadium. My kikaichu sense something dangerous about this man. I will lead you to them. Why? Because it will be quicker that way."

Sakura, now aware of the change in atmosphere, handed Hotaru over to Ino before she, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Kurenai followed Sasuke and Shino up the stairs toward one of the stadium exits. They passed Yamato, who was dressed in his ANBU uniform, on their way out of the stadium and he joined up with them, as something was obviously wrong.

"What's going on?" the masked Yamato asked Naruto and Sakura as they ran along.

Naruto briefly explained what was going on before Sasuke added, "Inform the Hokage that I believe we have intruders. I wouldn't be surprised if it is Akatsuki and quite possibly Madara himself."

"Are you certain?" Yamato asked, sounding a little like he was in shock. There hadn't been anyone suspicious enter the village and he hadn't sensed any out of the ordinary chakra signatures.

"I just have a really bad feeling about this," Sasuke replied, not once looking at the masked ANBU behind him.

"Understood," and with that Yamato took off to inform the rest of his fellow ANBU to be on the lookout for Daisuke and anything or anyone out of place.

They ran around the outside perimeter of the stadium toward where Shino's bugs had located the boys before Shino abruptly stopped and waited for a kikaichu to pass in front of him, what little of his face that was visible was expressionless.

"They are on the move. It seems they are going toward your home, Sasuke," Shino said. "Two of the boys have been left behind, so I am assuming that Daisuke and the unknown man are the only ones going that direction. Why? Because he is the only one that would have any reason to go in that direction."

Shino began a series of hand signs and produced an insect clone in his image. Kurenai and Shikamaru broke off from the group to go check on the other two boys led by Shino's clone. Shino continued to lead the old team 7 across the rooftops toward the old Uchiha side of town. It didn't take long for the four of them to catch up to Daisuke and the unknown male, but they didn't want to come up too fast and spook the other individual into doing something rash.

Once they were within range, Shino dropped back and signaled to Sasuke what direction the two were in, allowing him to take over the lead. Sasuke motioned for them to stop right before they reached his house. It was now clear to them that Daisuke was being taken beyond the house, deeper into the old Uchiha district, which had been rebuilt into a shopping district. Sasuke signaled a formation to Shino and Naruto, motioning for Sakura to stay back. She shook her head, hands on her hips in protest. Naruto took hold of her elbow and pulled his wife aside for a moment to talk.

"I don't want you going in there. We have no idea what we are up against," Naruto said in a low but very serious tone.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to engage in the battle if that happens. You'll need me, though, if someone is hurt. I'm worried about Daisuke too," Sakura whispered in protest, arms crossed on top of her baby bump.

Naruto nodded then whispered, his blue eyes appeared gray in the shadows, "Fine, but stay hidden as much as possible. I can't risk you or the baby getting hurt."

She nodded her head in understanding and Naruto turned to Sasuke and silently communicated that it was all right by nodding his head. Naruto and Shino went up onto the roofs to surround their target on either side; Sakura remained hidden in the shadows of Sasuke's house. Sasuke came up almost directly behind to confront the stranger. He could see Daisuke and a tall, thin man who was wearing a Jounin style uniform walking toward what use to be the area of the Uchiha temple. Sasuke's hackles were standing on end as his feeling of unease began to increase. Even though he didn't recognize the man, there was something eerily familiar about him. Daisuke was walking freely next to him, but he looked scared to death as if he was afraid of doing something to anger the man. Sasuke walked out of the shadows and approached the pair. He did not have the patience to wait and see what was going on. His nephew was in danger and it was up to him to protect him. The man turned when he sensed Sasuke's approach and his face almost looked as if he was actually happy to see him.

"Sasuke-kun, it didn't take you long to find us. I was just taking Daisuke-chan for a walk around the old neighborhood, but it seems that you've made some changes. There use to be a temple here that held a family secret. Now all I see are storefronts and a small park. Tell me, what have you done with the stone?" the man said. His features were that of an ordinary middle-aged man, but that smile, no a smirk, was really starting to get on Sasuke's nerves.

"Who are you and what are you planning?" Sasuke said as he glared at the man. His Sharingan activated and he was in no mood for games. Once he looked the man over with his Sharingan, he knew immediately whom the man was and why he was getting such a bad vibe from him. "What do you want with the stone, Madara? What does this have to do with Daisuke?"

"Good for you! I'm glad you finally recognized me," Madara said as his henge faded to reveal his true form, made complete by his usual one-eyed mask. "I don't think I'll let you in on my plans just yet, but I need the boy to help me with something. I had not expected you to interrupt my plans for, Rei, Deidara's sister to escort the boy to my side, but it was easier to sneak in here alone than to have to bring the boy with me. Your brother left something here that requires either Itachi's blood or the blood of an offspring to unlock. I need Daisuke-chan to help me with that little detail. I also wanted to welcome him into our family, but it seems that you have plans of your own for him," Madara added.

"My only plan is to let him live his life as far away from you as possible," Sasuke seethed, glaring at the ancient Uchiha.

"Why Sasuke-kun, how can you say that after all we've been through?" Madara said.

Sasuke could see a flash of red out of the corner of his left eye and knew that Naruto was on the move. Something was up and his friend had sensed it before he did, which meant that the blonde was in Sage Mode. Resting his hand on the hilt of his katana, Sasuke tried to appear calm as he mentally prepared himself for whatever surprise Madara had waiting for them. Madara lifted his right hand and signaled for someone to step out of the shadows.

"You have not met my newest recruit to Akastuki. I present you with Tsubasa," Madara said as a short man dressed as a mountain monk stepped from the shadows and placed himself just to the right and behind his leader. He looked much like any other monk, with long monks robes in dark earth tones and a monks staff mounted with one large metal ring with four smaller rings that clanged and clinked as he walked. Tsubasas head was clean-shaven, but he did not look peaceful, as one would expect of a monk. His brow was knit and he grimaced as he looked at the younger version of his master. "As I'm sure you are well aware, I have not the skill for direct confrontation anymore, so I'll have Tsubasa entertain you while young Daisuke and I have a look around. That is unless you would just be willing to tell us where the stone is?"

"Forget it Madara! I will not let you take the boy. Tell your man to stand aside. This is between you and me and you know it!" Sasuke shot back in response.

"Oh, my dear boy, I'm sorry, but I don't have time for this. I have no more use for you. Don't think you are as important to me as once you were," Madara replied, as he took Daisuke by the upper arm and started to lead him away down the lane.

The boy looked terrified and he gave a look towards Sasuke that plead for him to help. Sasuke couldn't help but feel enraged as his nephew was being led away. "Ninpo: Hidden Snake Hands!" Sasuke cried as he shot three snakes in the direction of Daisuke.

"Ninpo: Yama Oni no Justu!" cried Tsubasa. A great spiked club came down in front of the three snakes. Sasuke just barely managed to jump back as the monk's staff had changed into the massive spiked club of a legendary mountain ogre. The man was no longer the size he once was, but he was steadily growing in size to a towering 3 meters tall. His bald head was growing long, wavy black hair reaching to the middle of his back, yet the top remained free of the inky black locks. He had shed his monk's robes for a monstrous loincloth and his skin changed into a deep green, almost black hue that looked as tough as a rhino's hide. He smiled a vicious smile framed by two massive fangs protruding out of his mouth from his lower jaw.

The monstrous man swung his spiked club repeatedly in Sasuke's direction, barely missing the Uchiha with each swing of his massive weapon. Sasuke ducked and dodged, moving in a direction completely opposite from where he wanted to go. He unsheathed his Kusanagi and swung at the torso of the beast in front of him. The blade glanced off the tough exterior of the man and Tsubasa just grinned as a look of shock was on Sasuke's face. The Kusanagi was legendary for being able to cut through anything. Well, apparently almost anything. In frustration, Sasuke charged it with lightning chakra and aimed it at the arm that wielded the club. In one swift motion the oni's club lay on the ground still connected to the arm that Sasuke had severed from the monstrous body. The oni looked down at the fallen limb and simply smiled. As if with a mind of its own, the arm started to moved back in place on the oni's body and reattached itself.

"It's seems my Yama Oni no Jutsu is beyond your skills," the monstrous man said as Sasuke was now looking rather pissed off. "I am under orders to keep you away from Madara-senpai, to kill you if necessary, but you are proving to be a mere child in your skills compared to mine," Tsubasa taunted in a deep voice that rumbled from the man's massive chest.

"Never underestimate an Uchiha," Sasuke hissed, beads of sweat dripping from his brow.

* * *

Naruto flew across the rooftops in the direction of the old temple. The temple was no longer standing, but just behind the temple grounds, in the trees beyond, was a hidden underground chamber where he had helped Sasuke hide the stone only the previous year. He could sense something over in the direction of the entrance and from the chakra signatures, he knew this could turn into the very situation he had been dreading since they left the stadium. He had barely entered Sage Mode before he felt her presence moving and he could tell that things were not going as they had originally planned.

Stopping just beyond the entrance, he hid in the trees and was enraged by what he saw. The pinkette was standing, with a kunai to her neck, and one arm held in a wrist lock behind her back, held by the image of the very woman that they had encountered only a couple of months ago. The woman seemed to be waiting for someone and they had stopped just shy of the entrance. Naruto could sense whom she was waiting for, it was only a matter of time before Madara and Daisuke made their appearance.

'Sakura-chan, what are you up to?' her husband silently asked her. She stood there calmly and he could see that the pink-haired kunoichi was at the mercy of the blonde in the figure hugging Akasuki robe. She turned and her jade green eyes looked straight at him, as if she knew right where he was. It only lasted a split second, but he could see determination in those jade orbs before they turned away. Sakura had a plan and he needed to be patient, no matter how bad he wanted to rush to her side and kick some Akasuki tail. The sight before him caused his heart to catch in his throat as he watched his bride appear helpless in the arms of the shapely blonde, but he trusted her to do what she needed to in order to protect herself and their unborn child.

Without warning, Madara was standing directly behind him or at least a clone. The young Sage did not have the time to react before he felt a sharp pain in his neck. The world began to go black as he heard Madara say, "I still need the Kyuubi. Relax, you are in good hands."


	15. Family

Thanks to all my faves and reviews. Love you all so much and I love the fact that I get more reviews when I leave it hanging. I know, evil, but what could I do?

Happy New Year to you all and I hope you have a great 2010!

**Naruto and Co. owned by Masashi Kishimoto. This story is all mine and so are the OC's.** ** Oni idea came after doing some research for one of my one-shots.**

**Chapter 15: Family**

Sasuke continued to dodge and retreat from the Oni's massive weapon. His eyes were now in their ultimate form, the Mangekyou Sharingan. Focusing on the arm that held the massive weapon, tears of dark blood started to ooze from his left eye. Black flames appeared on the massive arm, but the Oni seemed unmoved by the searing pain and continued to swing the club; what he did not smash, the Amaterasu caught fire. The black flames began to spread and it was really starting to piss Sasuke off as they were heading toward his house. Most of the shops were empty because of the tournament, but Midori was at home. Not to mention, he was already in enough trouble with the Hokage for the last fire he started. Sasuke focused his chakra and using the powers in his right eye put out all the flames. Being constantly on the defensive was really wearing on Sasuke's patience and he needed to think of something fast.

"You know, you are really starting to piss me off," Sasuke said as he jumped up onto a nearby roof, giving him a chance to gather chakra for his next move.

"And to me you are just an annoying little insect. Come down here and fight like a man!" Tsubasa growled.

A small beetle flew before Sasuke's face and it took him a minute to recognize the insect. It wasn't long before another, then another started to appear between Sasuke and the transfigured Akatsuki monk. Soon, a swarm of Shino's beetle companions surrounded the Oni. As would be expected of someone finding themselves caught in a swarm of angrily humming insects, the Oni started to redirect his swings at the kikaichu that flew around him. This only made the kikaichu angrier in their swarm and the humming of their wings was becoming loud enough to drown out the frustrated grunts and curses of the 3-meter tall monster.

"Hn. An insect am I?" Sasuke replied with a smirk at the irony of the man's choice in words.

Sasuke took this opportunity to redirect his focus; momentarily closing his eyes. As he opened both eyes, blood began to slowly trickle down each cheek as the form of a skeleton took shape above and behind him. Within moments, the bones had grown muscles and the glowing red form of Susano'o covered the muscles. Every cell in Sasuke's body felt like it was on fire, yet he mentally commanded the entity to uncork its greatest weapon, the Totsuka Blade, also known as the sword of sealing. As the Oni swung and fought off Shino's kikai, Susano'o unleashed the sword and plunged it deep into the heart of the figure before him. The kikai quickly retreated as the Oni found itself being pulled into the gourd shaped container that housed the sealing sword. With great cries of protest, the Oni was pulled forward; Tsubasa's jutsu ended as he was pulled in, revealing the short, bald-headed monk's true form right before he disappeared from sight.

Sasuke dropped down to one knee as Susano'o's form receded, the blood beginning to dry upon his cheeks. Breathing heavily, Sasuke knew that this part of the fight was over. He was lower on chakra than he wished to be before going to meet his former ally, but he had to do what he could to save his nephew from a fate similar to his. Shino joined him on the rooftop and stoically stood nearby, hands shoved deep into his coat pockets.

"Thanks," Sasuke said, in between labored breaths.

"To not aid you in battle would have been unwise. This does not mean we are friends, Uchiha," Shino said without making eye contact with Sasuke.

Sasuke picked himself up and replied, "I know" before dusting himself off. "I'll take it from here. Go back and let everyone know what's going on."

"Understood," the Aburame replied before disappearing from sight.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Sakura hid behind the wall that surrounded Sasuke's home waiting for someone to make a move. She had her back up against the cold plaster wall as she peered over her shoulder to where she could see Sasuke making his way toward his nephew and the stranger. The cold steel of a kunai was pressed against her throat without warning and she turned her head carefully to see the feminine version of Deidara close enough that she was almost nose to nose with the shapely blonde. Sakura glared at the woman, but made no noise._

_"You surprise me, Pinky. I had heard that you were one of the best that Konoha has produced, but to be taken out so easily by little ol' me... Lucky for you Madara-sama needs information so I need you to come with me quietly," the blonde said in a hushed voice._

_"I will never tell you anything," Sakura hissed._

_"I have my ways of persuasion," Rei replied as she moved another kunai towards Sakura's swollen abdomen._

_"You wouldn't dare!" she said, jade eyes blazing.  
_

_"Wouldn't I?"_

_All that could be heard was a few tapping noises made by Sakura's outstretched fingers as they hit a series of pressure points along the blonde's body, causing instant paralysis. _

_"I knew you were there the whole time. Don't you think it was a little strange that you were able to get so close to me that quickly. You should not have let your guard down. Next time you'll know better, if there is a next time," Sakura said with a satisfied smirk as she pushed the blonde kunoichi back enough to give her some room to work. "Now, since Madara wants information out of me so badly, we'll just have to give him some and play along for a bit," the pink-haired Jounin said as she reached into her ever-present supply pack on her hip for a special tag, which at first glance looked very much like an explosive tag. Rei was unable to move as Sakura's jutsu had her completely paralyzed making it easy for Sakura to place the special tag on the woman's forehead. Concentrating her chakra, Sakura started the woman's transformation. "Now, you will tell me what you two are after, then we'll just take a little walk," Sakura said._

_

* * *

_

Naruto knew he was still alive when the throbbing in his head woke him up. Since he had no idea how long he had been unconscious, Naruto didn't want to waste any more time lying on the floor. The fox was rumbling its displeasure deep within, but he wasn't about to let him have any fun. With Sakura involved he wasn't foolish enough to make that mistake. Besides, Naruto wanted to get rid of Madara personally.

He could hear hushed voices as he tried to pry his eyes open, but he found that something was preventing him from doing so. Laying on his right side, he could hardly feel his hands bound behind him and the blindfold on his eyes. Naruto tried to move his legs and arms, but to no avail. Apparently, the drug that Madara had injected into him was causing some paralysis. Naruto tried to move other parts of his body and found that he could at least move his head. Rubbing his head on the ground, Naruto was able to bring the blindfold up just enough that he could make out a few shapes and shadows.

He could see a pink-haired blur leaning up against the left wall of the room, bound and gagged. They had made the room roughly 3 meters wide by 5 meters long and it appeared empty save the large storage seal at the far end of the room, lit only by torchlight. Madara was in conference with the blonde kunoichi as they stood looking at the seal, which held the Sage of the Six Path's stone tablet. It was the last line of defense that he and Sasuke had set up to hide the relic. Naruto could tell from his voice that Madara was a little frustrated at having one more hurdle to cross before his goal was realized. Daisuke was huddled up against the wall hugging his knees. From what little he could see, Naruto was glad that the boy looked unharmed, just scared.

Madara stood in contemplation at the seal while his partner walked over to Naruto and adjusted his bonds. Naruto was feigning unconsciousness while she worked, even if his limbs didn't want to respond he needed to find a way to get free. She leaned in close and placed an awful tasting tablet into his mouth. Naruto was tempted to launch it across the room but for something she whispered in his ear.

"Take this. It will get rid of your headache and the paralysis," the kunoichi said in a hushed voice.

"But it tastes awful," the blonde quietly mumbled his protest.

"Quit whining and swallow you baby."

The kunoichi quietly stood up and watched as her leader seemed roused from his thoughts.

"It seems that this seal needs both Sasuke and Naruto's blood applied at the same time. Tsubasa is running late. Either he'll appear soon with a bloodied weapon or Sasuke will. Go outside and wait for either one of them to arrive," the ancient Uchiha commanded. The kunoichi disappeared through the opening in the passageway, leaving Madara alone with his hostages.

* * *

Every cell in his body ached as he raced as fast as his feet could carry him over the rooftops and through the trees to the underground room. It unnerved him that he hadn't seen Naruto or Sakura since his fight with the monk began and he couldn't help but worry about his adopted family. He could see Rei standing there waiting for him, a single hand on her shapely hip as he approached. Sasuke had deactivated the Sharingan after battling the Oni and he was getting a headache that let him know that his clear vision wasn't going to hold up much longer. Landing gracefully on the ground in front of her he activated his Sharingan anyway. He did not want to face her without it, no matter how badly his eyes ached. She sauntered over to him as he waited for her approach.

"Naruto and Daisuke are below with Madara. Sasuke, he figured out the seal. Be careful," the blonde woman before him said.

"What happened to the Dobe?" the Uchiha inquired, having seen through her disguise the moment he activated his Doujutsu.

"Madara drugged him. He'll be fine soon but mad as hell since I left him tied up. Daisuke is unharmed, but scared," Sakura replied, still in Henge. She started to scan his eyes, as it was apparent that he had been using high risk jutsu from the dried blood on his face, but he pushed her hand away as he did not have time to worry about such things at that moment.

"Are you sure your OK?" the disguised Sakura asked.

"You can fix my eyesight later; right now we need to get down there. One question. How did Madara not notice?" Sasuke said referring to how well Sakura had fallen into character, but had not fooled his Sharingan.

"You boys aren't the only ones with tricks up your sleeves. You go first, I'll follow," Sakura replied with a wink.

Sasuke decided it was better not to ask and began his decent down the stairway. Sakura followed Sasuke down the stairs and closed the door behind them, locking it in place with a standard locking jutsu that was used mainly by ANBU in order to prevent any unwanted interruptions. The stairway was dark, illuminated only by the light given off from a set of torches along the walls of the room below. This light was easier on the Uchiha's eyes, but he had more important things to worry about than his eyesight.

"Sasuke-kun, I see you made it past Tsubasa," Madara said, as Sasuke ducked into the underground room. "Good help is so hard to find these days."

"Madara, let the boy go. It is useless to continue," Sasuke said, quickly taking in the situation around him.

Naruto still lay on the ground, but he was no longer trying to suppress the killer intent that he aimed at the ancient Uchiha. Sasuke could see a pink-haired woman tied up against the wall, apparently under a Ninjutsu disguise and drugged, as she was very relaxed within her bonds. Madara had pulled Daisuke up off the floor and was holding him unwillingly at his side. The boy's eyes plead with his uncle and Sasuke, red-eyes blazing, had to keep himself from noticing in order to focus on the enemy before him. Sasuke was just thankful that Madara hadn't used his teleportation technique on Daisuke as it would be near impossible to retrieve him once it was performed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke could see Naruto struggling against his bonds as he performed hand seals behind his back, a skill that he had been working on just in case. Five nature enhanced Shadow Clones suddenly appeared between Sasuke and Madara as a rather pissed off blonde could no longer hide the fact that he was ready to do a little butt kicking of his own. Where he once laid on the floor, all that could be seen were the straps that once held him; completely cut through with what appeared to be a modified wind jutsu that he had perfected for just such occasions. Sasuke stepped up next to the original Naruto, Sakura still in Henge behind them.

"You might as well stop the act, princess," Madara taunted. "I should have known that you weren't Rei as soon as I noticed the prisoner was drugged. She doesn't know a thing about medical jutsu," Madara said as his own Eternal Sharingan activated.

Sakura released her Henge and the completed team 7 stood in defiance of anything this man stood for. Pulling out a sealing scroll, Sakura started to go through a series of hand signs before biting her thumb and swiping it across the seal. Sakura's hands were in the sign of the Ram, as the blue kekai stared to erupt from the page and spread throughout the room, creating a barrier that would prevent anyone from using any form of teleportation technique from entering or leaving the room. Blocking the stairway, she continued to focus her chakra into the barrier.

"Ready?" her husband asked, stepping into a protective stance in front of his bride.

"Ready," she said, a bead of sweat dripped down her face as she concentrated.

"Hn, let's do this," Sasuke said, red-eyes blazing with determination at the man before him.

Weapons unsheathed, Sasuke with his Kusanagi and the original Naruto with his ninjato, they charged their weapons with their favorite nature based jutsu and waited for Madara to make his move. The battle was on.

Madara disappeared only to reappear behind one of the clones, effectively dispelling it with a simple kunai. Sakura cried out before realizing that it wasn't the original version of her husband. Even in Sage Mode, Naruto had realized that Madara was hard to track and until they figured out his strategy, he was going to be a real pain to fight. Madara was very quick in his attacks and moved surprisingly well for a man of his years.

The ancient Uchiha seemed to be playing with them as he popped up randomly between the clones and the members of team 7 at will. Even with the barrier in place, he was moving faster than they could keep up. It seems that Madara had perfected the idea that when a ninja no longer had the use of Genjutsu or Ninjutsu, he still had Taijutsu and right now, he was even faster than either Gai or Rock Lee.

The Taijutsu battle continued as Sasuke and Naruto blocked, punched and kicked at the Akatsuki leader, weapons clashing but never connecting. Sasuke's eyes could keep up with his movements, but the lack of chakra was making it hard to keep up as the man wove his way around and sometimes through their bodies. He could see his nephew on the floor, huddled in the corner hugging his knees to his chest. It was hard for someone so young and inexperienced to deal with the amount of killing intent that was flooding the small room and Sasuke almost got a roundhouse kick to the face in the midst of being distracted by his feelings for the boy. With a battle cry of frustration, Sasuke lunged in the direction of his nephew in an attempt to save the boy from harm, but Madara seemed to read his mind and stepped in between the boy and his uncle. Sasuke was knocked back, but managed to stay on his feet as he glared at his opponent, trying to find an opening in Madara's defense.

Naruto took advantage of this brief pause in action to make a mad dash straight at the mask clad man but found himself knocked back against a far wall, his arm bleeding from a blade Madara had concealed up his sleeve. Blood began to seep from the deep wound, but Naruto managed to block out the pain as no real damage was done. He could feel the fox trying to break free, wanting to exact its own revenge on the man before them. A deep feral growl escaped from his chest, but that was the only part of the fox that he would let free. He didn't want to lose control here, especially when Madara was already skilled at controlling the demon inside him.

Both Sasuke and Naruto attempted multiple times to reach Daisuke, but Madara managed to stop them each and every time. Naruto also had clones staying close to Sakura in order to protect her and the barrier that prevented Madara from teleporting out of the room. The ancient Uchiha had gone through clones faster than Naruto could make them and the small space did not lend itself readily as a battleground. It was starting to look like a war zone as walls crumbled whenever someone crashed into them after a failed block.

The battle had only gone on for a few minutes, but all of them were wearing out, including Madara. He still managed to make a Shadow Clone and had it charge toward the pink-haired kunoichi who was keeping him from using his best jutsu. Naruto's clones dispelled in puffs of smoke as Madara charged through them. Sakura suddenly found herself alone at the entryway as the clone of Madara went to release the kekai, leaving her with the choice of whether to maintain the kekai or protect herself. Naruto realized Madara's goal and threw one of his special kunai. It landed within inches of Sakura and he was able to come between him and his wife. With a frustrated growl, the clone Madara attempted to draw Sakura and Naruto into his vortex that he created with his Sharingan, but Sasuke was quick to call upon the shield of Susano'o to protect them. A frustrated Madara dispelled the clone and in a flash appear behind the boy. Team 7 watched as Madara pulled the boy in front of him using him as a human shield. Sasuke had had enough as his chakra was being drained away quickly and the frustration of being unable to rescue the boy was eating at him.

"Impressive. You've learned how to wield Susano'o's Yata Mirror," Madara said as he held Daisuke tight to his side.

"No one…_no one_ hurts my family," Sasuke said breathing heavily. The red demonic energy continued to build as Susano'o's arm began to take shape; quickly filling up the small room. Sasuke was obviously in a lot of pain from the overuse of his jutsu.

"But Sasuke-kun, don't you remember, I'm family," Madara sneered behind his mask.

"I have never…_ever_ considered you family. You may be an Uchiha, but that blonde idiot is more my family than my own flesh and blood ever was. I _will_ protect them with my _life_," Sasuke coughed, a metallic taste filled his mouth as he dropped to one knee. The fresh blood from his eyes added another layer to the dried blood upon his cheeks as he looked from Naruto to his nephew who was held captive by ancient Uchiha. "And that goes _double_ for the boy. I will not let you poison him like you poisoned me and his father with your hate."

Daisuke's eyes widened and he looked with amazement on Sasuke. He could see a small smile grace his uncle's lips as he nodded. The boy understood and watched as Sasuke took a kunai out of his holster apparently unnoticed by Madara who was either unaware of the move or completely confident that he could outmaneuver the youngsters before him. Turning the kunai around in his hand so that he was holding the point, Sasuke sent the knife flying with a simple flick of his wrist. Madara made to dodge the kunai that came in low toward his legs, but found that the movement simply aided in bringing it into the waiting hand of Daisuke. Daisuke slashed at the arm that held his shoulders against the old man's side with enough force to cut deep into the muscle. The young Uchiha then turned it in his hand and with as much force as he could muster, plunged it into the man's thigh, leaving it deeply imbedded in the muscle. Madara dropped his captive in astonishment and clenched the kunai with his wounded arm out of impulse. An increasingly blood stained pant leg was evidence as to how deeply the kunai was lodged, but the seasoned ninja remained calm as he stared down his opponents. Daisuke ran as fast as his legs could carry him behind the figure surrounding his uncle and into the waiting arms of Sakura as they all waited for Madara's reaction.

"Hehehe, not bad for a kid. I see you have not been idle with the boy's upbringing," Madara said as he gazed at the now completed arm and shield of Susano'o, muscle and bone covered in demonic skin, and a rather pissed off blonde standing next to Sasuke, protecting their precious ones behind them. "It seems that I have made a mistake in my approach. I will retreat this time, but mark my words, I will have what I want before the end," hissed the old man. And with that, the lines of his mask seemed to extend out and begin to vanish, making his form seem to spin as if part of the mask until he had vanished from their sight into a vortex that even a kekai couldn't prevent.

Naruto breathed a huge sigh of relief as Sasuke released his jutsu. It was over. For now. Sasuke let the pain overtake him and collapsed to the ground, not wanting to move under his own power for as long as it was possible.

* * *

"Where are they?" Kakashi asked the masked Yamato as they raced over the rooftops toward the old Uchiha side of town. A masked Sai was flying high overhead on one of his winged creations as they looked for the rest of team 7.

"I can sense them over there in that clearing in the trees. I knew there was a reason I gave Naruto those tracking seeds before they left. I can sense a lot of chakra coming from them," the onetime leader of team Kakashi replied.

"Can you see anything?" Kakashi asked the ANBU commander.

"Nothing. I have reinforcements on their way, but if it is Madara we need to hurry," the airborne Sai replied.

Once they reached the entry of the underground passageway, they found that the door was barred from the inside, as if whoever had closed it did not want any interruptions. Kakashi studied the locking jutsu and knew immediately whose it was.

"Sakura set up a barrier. I'll release it, but stand back," Kakashi said.

He placed an explosive tag on the door once he found the week spot in the jutsu with his Sharingan. Jumping back he set off the tag as the explosion removed the jutsu and the door to the passageway along with it. The three ninja rushed into the passageway, only to find that they were too late. The scene before them was a welcome sight as all members of their team were safe and only slightly worse for wear. Naruto was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor while Sakura was working on healing a deep gash in her husband's arm. Sasuke was sitting against the wall, talking to a kneeling Daisuke before him. All that Sasuke truly needed was rest. His vision was blurred, but Sakura needed her supplies back at the hospital for that treatment.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked his Genin team.

"Madara," Sasuke said, summing it up in one word. Daisuke just nodded his head; his cheeks stained with dried tears from when he had cried earlier.

"What did he want?" Yamato asked. "Besides the obvious."

"He was after the tablet. He was also after something else that Itachi left behind," Naruto replied.

"He was after the code that breaks Naruto's seal," Sakura offered. Everyone looked at her in surprise. "He told me, while I was still in Henge, that Itachi had found the code that unlocked the seal and hid it on the back of the tablet."

"Unbelievable," Kakashi said. He started to laugh and everyone else was at a loss as to what he was laughing at.

"That fake code was planted a long time ago by ANBU and it disappeared right before Itachi left the village. He must have stolen it for this very reason. However, I'm not sure if even he _knew_ it was a fake. The Sandaime had us look all over for it, but we never could find that thing. After a while we just gave up because the Hokage knew the real one wasn't even in the village," Kakashi laughed, being careful not to reveal much more than that in Daisuke's presence. Everyone but Sasuke joined in laughing with Kakashi before Sasuke cut in.

"What would have happened if Madara had gotten his hands on the real one?" the weary Uchiha asked.

"Madara can't complete the 10 tail with Naruto's seal intact," the retired ANBU replied.

"That's good to know," Naruto said, he looked like he was deep in thought before he mumbled something to himself that only Sakura could hear.

"What?" Kakashi asked.

"Nothing, hehe" was Naruto's only reply, as he waived off any further questions and dawned the smile he used when he was hiding something. They let the comment slide, as it seemed that Naruto wasn't ready to share his thoughts with anyone just yet and maybe it was safer that way.

* * *

Everyone that had ever been a member of team 7 walked back to the stadium at a relaxed pace. Sasuke was able to move under his own power, but Naruto had insisted that he didn't want to pick him up off the ground if Sasuke's legs gave out on him on the way back to town. They followed Kakashi and Daisuke. The energetic seven-year-old had decided that he wanted to know what was under the mask and was attempting to get the veteran Jounin to let him look, much to the rest of team 7's amusement. Yamato and Sai, who walked with them on their way back to their posts at the Stadium, followed behind. Naruto had been smiling at Daisuke's antics, but was soon lost deep in thought and this didn't go unnoticed by Sakura or Sasuke.

"Naruto?" Sakura said, drawing him from his contemplation.

"Hm?" Naruto grunted, his eyes focused on the ground before him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I know where it is…," he said in a voice almost so low that they couldn't hear.

"Where what is?" Sasuke asked.

"I have it."

Realization about what the blonde was talking about hit them both at the same time. Sakura and Sasuke just looked at each other with eyes wide. Naruto never even looked up. It was the one thing he had never bothered to tell anyone, since he realized that he himself didn't need it to remove the seal. No one else was even aware of this exchange as they walked on.


	16. Coming Full Circle

Thanks for all my reviewers and favorites. I love you guys and without you, this story would have probably not been this fun to create.

New OC's:

Aburame Sato (oil woman, village), Toriyama Yusuke (mountain bird, traditional boys name), and Kanemoto Fumiko (traditional last name, little friend)

Natsu Kohana (summer, little flower), Umi Yukio (Sea, gets what he wants), Kaji Ryu (fire, dragon)

Ino's kids: Ishi Kiyoshi (stone, bright) and Ishi Taro (stone, first-born son)

**I do not own Naruto and Co. or the known Narutoverse. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I just borrow them every once in a while.**

**Chapter 16: Coming Full Circle**

Tsunade, still dressed in her more formal Hokage robes, hat in hand, walked into the treatment room that was in one of the lower levels of the stadium to find Naruto stretched out on one of the beds, looking like he was ready for a nap. Sakura was sitting next to and leaning over a rather dirty and scratched up Uchiha working on his eyes. Daisuke, shaken but unharmed, had gone back to watch the tournament with Seimei and the rest of their friends at the urging of Sasuke who assured the boy that it was all right. Seimei and the Akamichi boy were both perfectly fine when they found them, unconscious, but safe. Madara had been quick in his attack and he had caught them right after leaving the dango stand. The worst part of it, for the boys, was the fact that their dango had been ruined, but new dango soon fixed that. Sai and Kakashi had already briefed the Hokage about what happened and this was the first time that she had been able to break away from watching the tournament to check on her three strongest Shinobi.

"Can't you three just enjoy the tournament like the rest of us?" Tsunade said only to get groans in return. "How are they, Sakura?" Tsunade said as she walked up next to Sakura. She could tell by the blood dried to Sasuke's cheeks that it must have been serious enough for him to use his riskiest jutsu.

"Shisou," Sakura said, acknowledging her presence without looking up at the Sannin. She was focusing chakra into Sasuke's eyes and Tsunade could tell from how dilated and bloodshot they were that they would not be seeing much of Sasuke for a while. He was more than likely going to hide at home until his eyes could handle the light better.

"Naruto's fine. He just has a bad gash on his arm that won't take much to heal, but Sasuke's eyes are a different matter. I did the best I can do for now. I'm running low on chakra so it may take a couple of treatments to reverse the damage even partially. With Madara still out there, I don't know how much I'll be able to repair before he's back to finish what he started."

She finished her work on Sasuke's eyes by applying soothing eye drops and he was content to lay there with his eyes closed. Turning in her chair, Sakura let out a sigh as the day had worn her out as well. Tsunade was about to suggest that she lay down on one of the other beds when Sakura got a look of surprise on her face when something unexpected happened inside her.

"Oh, mm," Sakura said, rubbing her baby bump where she had felt the fluttering of something under the taught skin.

"Sakura, how about you, are you OK?" Tsunade said as her med-nin instincts kicked in. Leaning over, she began to check the baby until Sakura placed a hand on top of hers to stop her scanning.

"I'm fine. We're fine. That was just the baby's first kick. I guess it has had enough excitement for one day too," she said with a small yet motherly smile.

Tsunade nodded in understanding. She could feel the tiny little flutters as the baby kicked some more. Naruto sat up, a little more alert now that his littlest one was saying its hello to the world for the first time. Kneeling next to his wife, Naruto placed his hand over the spot that the baby had been kicking and started to smile as any proud daddy would. Tsunade took a step back and let the little family have their moment. Sasuke seemed perfectly content to lay there on the bed and Tsunade could swear that he was starting to fall asleep.

After watching the tender moment for a while she broke the silence by saying, "Well, from what Sai tells me you three really should be proud of yourselves today. Ibiki already has Rei in custody so we'll see what information concerning Madara's recent activities we will be able to get from her. I have ANBU looking into how they managed to get in here so easily and so far, there have been no signs of Madara anywhere in the village. He's seems to be very long on patience, so I don't think we'll see him any time soon," Tsunade said as she crossed her arms. "I am a little concerned about what he was doing here in the village in the first place. Would someone fill me in on what this little battle was about?"

"Baachan, you remember the first time I went to Mount Myoboku?" Naruto said, sitting back up on the bed he had been half-asleep on earlier.

"How can I forget," Tsunade said.

Naruto rubbed his head while he thought over how he should answer, pulling his hitai-ate off in the process.

Tsunade said, "Well, don't leave us in suspense, Gaki."

"Well, while I was there they gave me what I guess you could call my inheritance from Dad and Ero-sennin. Not that I ever want to use it, but they gave me the code to my seal," Naruto said looking the Hokage straight in the eye, fidgeting with the metal plate unconsciously.

"I see," Tsunade said, taking a deep breath. "I always knew there were things those two never bothered to inform me. Well, after today's excitement I'm going to pretend as if we never had this conversation."

"Baachan?" Naruto said with a raised eyebrow.

"Naruto, that piece of information is something that only you need to know about. You do what you need to do to keep it safe. Also, do what you need to do to make sure Madara doesn't get to that stone quite so easily. I don't want to hear about that either, so don't bother asking that question that you are about to ask." She said to Naruto who closed his mouth as he was about to say something. "As long as no one else knows what happened today, I won't have to answer any unnecessary questions from the rest of my ninja or those from out of town that are here for the tournament.

"I trust you three to do what is right. Today only goes to show me that the future of the village will be in good hands, since you already are doing what you need to do to keep us safe. I'm proud of you. Now, I'm going to let you three have as much time off as you need to recuperate. I'm planning on at least two of you picking up Genin teams in a couple of months, so I don't want you trying to get yourselves killed before then."

"OS," Naruto said while Sasuke grunted his response and to tell you the truth, he had tuned out much of what Tsunade was saying as he began to fall asleep now that his eyes were feeling a little better. Sakura just smiled, knowing that Tsunade was referring to the upcoming Academy graduation that she and Tsunade had already talked about earlier in the week, giving a knowing glance at her husband. With little ones of her own to take care of, not to mention she had a couple of apprentices at the hospital already, she was glad Tsunade was not referring to her.

Tsunade turned around a left the room only to let out a laugh as she walked down the hall when what she had said finally registered with the raven-haired Jounin when he gave uncharacteristic stuttered, "W-wait, what? Genin?"

* * *

It was the day of the academy graduation. Iruka had made it through another year of teaching the next generation of students and he was excited for his recent graduates. In the yard of the Academy, parents were congratulating their children on jobs well done. Unknown to the graduates and their families, there were several Jounin watching from the shadows. They were Jounin who had yet to receive Genin, either because their Genin didn't pass last time or for reasons of availability. There was Lee, Shino, Tenten, Sasuke, and Naruto. This was Lee, Tenten, and Sasuke's first year as Jounin instructors, but the other two had already flunked at least one team. Even the team Naruto tested last year completely failed the bell test. With the need they had for ninja, the Hokage had expanded the Genin program in order to get as many into the ranks as possible, but it didn't mean they could go easy on the quality of students.

The Jounin watched for a while and then teleported to their meeting with the Hokage. It was time to get to know who would be on their new Genin teams and prepare for the next week. They reappeared on the top of the Hokage tower where Tsunade stood waiting for them.

"How was graduation?" she asked as the new instructors stood behind her while she gazed up at the faces on the Hokage monument.

"Nothing too exciting, Baachan," replied Naruto.

"The springtime of youth should be cherished while we have the opportunity to mold these young minds, Naruto-kun. They are full of potential that we will draw out of them as we run off into the sunset together!" Lee exclaimed. "Hokage-sama, please share with us who will be our most fortunate Genin!"

Tsunade turned around trying to hide her amusement at Lee's excitement. She proceeded to hand each of the Jounin their information on each of their new Genin teams. "This is the information on your new teams. Iruka spent a little more time on group activities this year, so hopefully, they will get the teammate concept a little quicker. That doesn't mean I want you to go easy on them either. They will meet you after lunch tomorrow, so please be on time. I have also assigned your training fields for the next couple of days so that you can start training as soon as they pass the bell test. Any questions?" Hearing none, she dismissed them with a wave of her hand.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke walked down a hall in the Academy. Naruto's hands were shoved deep into his pockets as he hummed a tuneless melody to himself. Sasuke just looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "Do I even want to know?" Naruto just laughed as Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Dobe."

"Teme."

They stood outside the classroom with the other Jounins until Iruka was done giving directions. When he was finished, Iruka opened the door and asked the Jounin to join them in the classroom. The teams had already been assigned before lunch so it was only a matter of matching team to sensei. Sasuke was assigned to team 5 consisting of Aburame Sato, Toriyama Yusuke, and Kanemoto Fumiko. Naruto's team was called last.

"Team 10; Natsu Kohana, Umi Yukio, Kaji Ryu. You are Uzumaki Naruto's team," Iruka announced.

"What's with the funny scars on his face?" whispered Yukio to Kohana who only shushed him.

They got up from their seats and followed Naruto outside to the rebuilt lookout where team 7 had first met with Kakashi. Naruto sat on the railing as the kids sat on the steps.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto your new Jounin instructor. Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourselves so that we can get to know each other a little better? Let's start with you," he said nodding to the tall boy with short, white spiky hair named Yukio.

"Ne, Sensei. What should I say?"

"Well, why don't you start with your name, what you like and dislike and any dreams you might have," he replied.

"I'm Umi Yukio. I like doing whatever I want and I hate losing. I dream of one day being like one of the legendary Sannin."

Naruto laughed. He hoped he was talking about Jiraiya and not Orochimaru. Two snake users in the village were enough as far as he was concerned. "OK, how about you," he said referring to the only girl of the group.

"I'm Natsu Kohana. I like eating dango and sweets and I hate perverts," she said glaring at Yukio. "I dream of being like the kunoichi, Temari of Suna, someday," she said in a strong voice. She was a medium height girl with red hair and green eyes. She reminded him a little of a picture he had been given of his mom when she was a Genin.

"OK, any particular reason you like Temari-san?" he asked.

"I really like that cool fan that she uses to blow away anything with," she replied.

"Do you have an affinity for wind?"

"My Mother's secondary element was wind, but I haven't had any elemental training yet."

"We'll work on that a little later," Naruto said. Nodding at the last of the three he said, "OK, how about you?"

"I'm Kaji Ryu. I don't like much and I hate anyone who gets in my way. I just want my father to acknowledge me as a strong ninja someday," said the young man with straight brown hair and deep brown eyes.

'I have a feeling I'm going to be playing referee with Ryu and Yukio,' he thought to himself. "Right, well that does it for introductions. I guess I'll tell you about our first mission."

"Ne sensei," started Yukio, "aren't you going to tell us about you?"

"Well, I like ramen and being with my friends and family. I dislike anyone who tells me I should give up. My dream, well I'll let you figure that one out," he said with a smile. "Now, our first mission will start at 5 am tomorrow morning at training ground number 6. Oh, and don't eat breakfast."

"Ne sensei, why are we meeting at the training grounds?" asked Yukio. Naruto could tell he was the one who would be the loud one of the group.

"Our first mission is for you to undergo survival training."

"But sensei, we already did survival training at the Academy. Don't we get to do something cooler now that we are ninja," chimed in Kohana.

"You're not technically ninja yet. You have to pass _my_ test in order to become genin."

"What kind of test?" asked Ryu.

"I'll explain more tomorrow morning. Prepare for anything," Naruto said with a Cheshire cat grin.

"But I thought we became ninja when we graduated!?" protested Yukio

"Graduation just means you have the potential to become ninja. I'll decide whether you do or not. I'll see you in the morning. Dismissed." He watched his new team get up and walk away, Ryu by himself and Kohana scolding Yukio for something she thought that he had said was stupid. 'That felt like Déjà vu. I wonder if Sasuke's team is anything like mine.' With that, he turned to jump onto a nearby roof. 'Time to see what that Teme is up to.'

* * *

"Now that was a good workout, dattebayo. I needed that," Naruto said as he flopped down on the ground under the shade of a nearby tree.

Sasuke looked just as worn out and dirty but he walked over to the same tree and stood just under the treeline. "You're getting sloppy in your attacks, Dobe. You're lucky I didn't run you through with my katana."

"You can talk. You almost got caught in the back with a Rasengan," he said with a great big grin on his face. "Next time I'll use Sage Mode and see how long you last."

Sasuke just rolled his eyes and sat down on the ground next to his friend. Sasuke took one of Naruto's special kunai out of his pack and tossed it to Naruto. "And next time don't cheat by sticking one of these in my kunai holster."

"Hehe, you found that did you?" he said sheepishly putting the kunai back in his own holster.

"Usuratonkachi."

"Bibiri-kun."

They remained that way for several minutes just focusing on breathing and watching the clouds roll past in the bright blue sky. Naruto looked like he had fallen asleep on the grass, but for the red tint around his eyes. He had gone into Sage Mode and was monitoring the area. Sasuke was also in meditation. He always felt more comfortable meditating around Naruto when he was in Sage Mode because he knew Naruto could sense anyone long before even he could. This ability use to irk him to no end when he first came back to the village, now he took advantage of it as a chance to actually relax.

"So Sasuke, what do you think of your new team," Naruto said opening his eyes. He hadn't released Sage Mode and they were very frog like in appearance.

"I won't know until after tomorrow, but no one stands out above the rest," Sasuke said slowly opening his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm curious to see how long it takes my three to get the whole idea of teamwork. The three I tested last year were completely clueless. Today felt like déjà vu to our first day as a team. No avengers, but I have a feelingl both boys have some issues that could make life interesting," Naruto had a sideways smile as he looked at his brother out of the corner of his eyes.

"Glad I can keep your life interesting," Sasuke said knowing that comment was directed at him.

"And you'd probably be off dead somewhere if I didn't drag you back home, dattebayo. Speaking of interesting, how's family life?"

"Hn."

"That good huh?"

"I can't remember being that energetic as a kid. Daisuke's getting better at learning the routine around here, but he still asks way too many questions for my taste," Sasuke said finally relaxing enough to lie down on the grass. He laced his fingers behind his head and gazed up at the clouds that peacefully drifted by.

"Well, if I can calm down he can too. It doesn't feel like I'm calmer than I was growing up, but Sakura keeps saying if I hadn't calmed down I would still be a bachelor."

"Trust me, Dobe, you are _a lot_ calmer than when we were kids."

Naruto just laughed at this and Sasuke shook his head. Sasuke waited for Naruto to stop laughing before asking, "Do you think I made the right decision letting Daisuke and his mother move in with me?"

"I think Daisuke's been good for you. I know you won't admit it, but you need these bonds just as much as anyone else. I've seen how you light up when he's around."

"I don't light up!"

"I've known you long enough to read your reactions. Trust me; you are a lot more relaxed when that kid is around, Teme. I think I even saw you smile once," he said now relaxing out of Sage Mode, drops of sweat rolling down his face. "We've got company."

Sasuke sat up to see a young boy running toward them with his kunai holster on his right leg wearing an outfit similar to the one Sasuke wore as an academy student, but he felt more comfortable in all black. He still had the last name of Shima, but the Uchiha crest stood out on the black jacket he was wearing. They could tell something happened by how fast he ran across the field.

"Ojisan," Daisuke said breathing heavily, "Its Kasan, something's wrong!"

The two friends looked at each other and they knew the inevitable had finally come.

"I'll go get Sakura and Tsunade," Naruto said as he shot off toward the village without hesitation.

Sasuke nodded and had Daisuke climb up on his back. They raced back home as fast as Sasuke's legs could carry them. They had been dreading this moment ever since Tsunade had said she was unable to isolate the poison from Midori's cells. Tsunade was actually surprised she had held on this long. Sakura had been working as much as possible on the sample trying to get something to work, but to no avail. It seems that Madara had taken his source of the poison from the Kyuubi before it had been sealed inside Naruto, leaving the poison with both yin and yang chakra. Naruto was only exposed to the yang part of the Kyuubi making it impossible to create an antidote.

When Sasuke and Daisuke reached the Uchiha residence, they found her lying in bed looking very pale and sweating profusely. Sasuke put a hand to her forehead and she was burning up. Moments later, Sakura entered followed by Tsunade and Naruto. Sakura checked her vital signs and gave her some medicine to make her more comfortable but shook her head when Sasuke's eyes met hers. They left Daisuke alone with his mother for a while now that she was feeling a little better and was able to talk easier.

"How much time does she have," Sasuke asked Sakura once they had left the room.

"A few days at the most," she replied. Naruto just put a hand on her shoulder. He knew how frustrated she had been at not being able to find an antidote for the poison and now it looked as if it was too late. A few tears ran down her cheeks as she said, "I'm so sorry Sasuke."

"Death's nothing new to me, but this will be hard on Daisuke. I'm worried about him."

She gave him a hug and he awkwardly returned it.

"Do you need us to stick around?" Naruto asked his friend.

"I think we'll be OK."

Tsunade walked up to the Uchiha and put a hand on his shoulder handing him a small box. "Here is some more medicine to make it easier for her. Just give her some every four hours and that should help with the fever and the pain. I'll let your Genin know that their test is being postponed."

"Thanks Tsunade-sama, if she's going to be like this a few more days I will still give them their test. I need something to do."

"I understand. I'll have someone stop by tomorrow morning to watch over them," replied the Hokage.

"I'll do it Tsunade-shisou," Sakura offered.

"Thank you Sakura," Sasuke said. All this sentiment made him uncomfortable and he already wasn't sure how to handle being part of a family again.

Tsunade left team 7 to take care of one of their own and headed back toward the Hokage tower. It amazed her at how close they all were after all that had happened between them. Maybe it was because of all that had happened that had made them so close. It also seemed like the civilian deaths were harder on her ninja than the deaths of comrades. No death was easy to deal with, but at least with fellow ninja the possibility of death was in the back of everyone's minds. It was harder when an innocent civilian was caught in the middle of ninja affairs and lived a much shorter life than expected. Midori had come to them already sick, but she could tell Sasuke had formed a bond with her, even if it was a weak one. Daisuke on the other hand was family and Sasuke was now susceptible to the boy's pain, even if the Uchiha wouldn't admit it.

* * *

"So today's the big test day huh?" said Temari as she sat down on the bench next to Sakura and Hinata. They were with a bunch of the girls at the park getting a little mommy time while the kids played in the sand.

"Yeah. We'll know soon enough if Naruto's new Genin pass or not. After yesterday I did't think either of them would be able to concentrate much on giving the bell test," replied the slightly depressed sounding Sakura. "Hotaru, don't put that in your mouth!" She watched as the small boy slowly lower the sandy hand from his mouth at her scolding.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. Guys can brush off that kind of stuff a lot easier than we can," said Ino as she came toward them with a small boy on each hip; both had dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. She set them down on a blanket in the shade as Temari called out, "Nara Toshihiro, quit throwing sand at Kita!" Ino sat down on the blanket next to her boys and handed them a couple of toys from their bag. Kiyoshi and Taro both started giggling as they saw her handing them their favorite playthings that looked something like dinosaurs.

"I checked on her this morning and Daisuke refused to leave her side. She's been sleeping all morning and Daisuke just sat there holding her hand. I had hoped Sasuke would take the Hokage's offer to postpone the test so that he could have stayed there with him all morning," the pink haired kunoichi said ruefully. She absentmindedly ran her hand over her growing belly. "I would have stayed longer if Hotaru hadn't started getting into trouble."

They looked toward the sound of a child crying and saw a little brown haired girl in tears as her big brother pulled on her doll. "Naruto! Let go of your sister's doll," Ayame called to the three year old. "I swear; that boy just loves to torture his sister."

"Must be the name," Temari said as both Sakura and Ayame shot her a glare. Everyone else just laughed.

"Speak of the devil," Ino said rather matter-of-factly.

"There you are. I thought you'd be at Sasuke's house," a voice came from behind Sakura. "Hello ladies," he said nodding to the rest of the group.

"There wasn't much more I could do, so I brought Hotaru to the park," Sakura said as her husband walked up and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Besides, I think Sasuke and Daisuke wanted to be alone."

"Well, I'm done with the team, want to go get some lunch?" said a rather smiley blonde.

"Let me guess, they passed?" his wife asked rhetorically.

"Am I that easy to read?"

"Yes," chimed in all the kunoichi present, Ayame included.

"Humph," he pouted, "Do they teach how to be cold hearted to kunoichi at the Academy?"

"Especially concerning certain blonde idiots," Temari couldn't help but add with a smirk.

"Must be a Suna thing," he said as he dodged a fist. He backed away from the park bench to a safer distance from the blonde kunoichi. "Man, you guys are dangerous. Maybe I should have brought my Genin here for survival training," he said with a fox like grin.

Sakura got up and gathered her bag and their toddler from the sandbox. "Let's get you out of here before you don't live to see Hokage. See you guys," she said waving goodbye to her friends.

"What?" he said as she rolled her eyes at him.

"You just have to taunt Temari don't you."

"Her buttons are easier to push than Sasuke's. Can you blame me for wanting to have a little fun with your friends?"

"They are your friends too."

"True, but I'm better at male bonding."

"Obviously."

"So how about Ichiraku's for lunch?"

"Noonals!" Hotaru said with blue eyes sparkling.

"Alright, but you hold him. I don't want to wear his lunch too," she said handing him their son. "You can tell me all about your new team while we eat."

* * *

The sky was growing black with the storm clouds as they gathered around a new headstone in the Konoha cemetery. Team 7 stood around Daisuke as he silently cried during the ceremony, everyone dressed in black. Sasuke had a hand on Daisuke's shoulder for comfort. It was all he could think of doing at a time like this. Not too many of their friends had known Midori, but they came for Sasuke and Daisuke's sake. Her headstone was placed next to another recent addition that only had "Male Age: 21" written on the stone. It was where Uchiha Itachi was buried, but they had decided to leave off the name just in case Madara came looking for the body.

As the ceremony ended, everyone left leaving Team 7 alone. Naruto just patted his friend on the shoulder and Sakura gave him a hug. She also gave Daisuke a hug as he just cried into her shoulder. Sakura had been at the house quite a bit since his mom started slipping away and she was now the closest thing he had to a mother.

"Come over anytime you need anything, OK?" she said to the young Uchiha wiping away the tears on his cheeks. He simply nodded and sniffled as she stood up and started to walk toward her husband who was waiting a few paces away. The rain began to fall. Sasuke remained by his side until Daisuke was ready to leave. Sasuke couldn't help but remember being in this boys place at almost exactly the same age. He knew what it was like to be left all alone in the world, but he silently vowed to himself and Daisuke that this time it would be different. It was just the two of them now as they slowly walked home through the falling rain.

* * *

**A/N: I know I left it hanging a little on the location of the code, but refer back to Anime Shippuuden episode 130 when Jiraiya talks to the toad scroll. That kinda was in the back of my mind when I wrote this and I didn't want to dwell on it too long in this story. Hope that clears things up a little.**


	17. Life Goes On

Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers and readers who are following this story. You make my day and I hope this story makes yours a little more interesting-if only a little.

**Naruto and the Narutoverse belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

**Chapter 17: An Unwritten Future**

"We are in position."

"Can you see the target?"

"Hai."

"Bow on the right ear?"

"Hai."

"Target is armed and dangerous. Approach with caution."

"On my mark, 3-2-1 IKE!"

Three young ninja jumped from their hiding places and pounced onto the unsuspecting cat. This cat had successfully made it through each of the Genin teams over the past ten years and the Hokage was hoping the cat would give up someday or die.

"I got it!" shouted an excited Yukio. The cat promptly turned around and started scratching his face. "Aaah!" he screamed almost dropping the cat.

Kohana grabbed the cat by the scruff of the neck and it relaxed as she pulled it into her arms. "Don't you know how to hold a cat?" she asked with a knowing air.

"Like I care, you flat chested girl!" he scowled. The two traded lightning bolts only inches from each other's face.

"We got him," Ryu calmly said over the two-way radio, ignoring the fighting between his two teammates.

"Good job. Let's get this cat to the Hokage while Kohana has control of him," their sensei said, as he suddenly appeared mind sentence. During these simple training missions, Naruto preferred to wear just a standard Jounin uniform. Save the shorter hair and whiskers, he looked very much like his father in this uniform. The cat gave out a low growl as he recognized one of his many victims over the years. "Nice to see you too, Tora," he said taking a step back from the cat.

"Ne, sensei, are you afraid of a cat?" asked Yukio.

"Hey, I'm not afraid, but my face didn't look much different than yours ten years ago, dattebayo," Naruto said pointing to the young Genin's face.

"Humph."

They entered the Hokage's office with their captive where the Daimyo's wife was waiting. She quickly pulled the cat out of Kohana's arms and began squeezing it and loving it until his eyes began to bulge out of his head.

"I can see why the cat ran off," whispered Yukio.

"Shhhh," replied Kohana. Ryu just rolled his eyes.

"Good job team 10. How did they do Naruto?" asked the aging Sannin. Her hair was now more gray than blonde, but her complexion was that of a 30 year-old's.

"They did pretty good. We still need to work on communication, but they are learning."

Kohana and Yukio shot looks at each other when Naruto mentioned communication and Ryu just rolled his eyes.

"I see," said the Hokage, doing a good job at not laughing as the kids made faces at each other. "Well, that is it for today. I'll have another mission for you tomorrow. Dismissed."

"Hai Tsunade-baachan," said Naruto.

"Hai," his team echoed.

"What now, sensei?" Ryu said looking up at the tall blonde as he walked next to their sensei, Kohana and Yukio following not far behind as they walked down the hall of the Hokage Mansion.

"Well, I think you've had enough for today. Training field 6 is open if you guys want to go train. If I were you I'd work on your stealth some more. You need to _completely_ conceal yourself when spying on the target. Tora must be getting sloppy in his old age because you guys caught him pretty easily."

"You call that easy?" Yukio said checking his scratches for blood.

"Hehe, you'd be surprised. Try sneaking up on Kakashi-sensei. He'd be good practice for you," grinned the mischievous Jounin.

"I've heard he's scary. No thank you," Yukio said crossing his arms.

Naruto just laughed. "I've got some reports to work on, so I'll see you three bright and early." With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Ah man! I'd hoped we were going to get to do better stuff than this when we became ninja. This sucks!" Yukio complained.

"Try training. Then maybe we'll get better missions," Ryu mumbled back at him.

The three Genin could be seen walking down the hall arguing all the way.

* * *

Naruto sat at his desk, almost hidden behind a mountain of paperwork. He hated the fact that Tsunade hadn't removed mission reports off of his list of duties. She apparently was glad to get rid of the work and thought he needed the experience even after his punishment for the Uchiha fire was long over and done with. He thought about calling a shadow clone or two, but that usually resulted in a headache if they dispelled to close together, so he decided to do it the long way today. He raised his head when he heard a knock at the door.

"You alive in here?" asked a tall, raven-haired figure as he walked through the open door.

"No. Come back and bother me later," he grumbled.

"Nice to see you too, usuratonkachi," said the Uchiha as he leaned against the door-frame.

"Either help me or leave me alone," grumbled the future Hokage.

"Hn, I just came by to ask if Daisuke could stay with you guys while we are on a mission," Sasuke began. "I hate the thought of leaving him alone this soon after the funeral."

"Oh, sure. Just have him come on over after dinner. I'll have Sakura make up the couch for him," he said signing off on another lengthy mission report. "What kind of mission?"

"It's just repairs to some fencing on a farm down the road, D-ranked; nothing too exciting. It shouldn't take too long."

"At least you get to leave town. If I can get my three to stop arguing long enough maybe they'll get some better missions."

"Now I know why you're grumpy. You always did hate D-ranked missions."

"We had that cat again."

"Ah."

"What did you guys do today?" Naruto asked as he signed off on another report.

"Pulled weeds. The worst part was convincing Fumiko that getting dirty was part of being a ninja."

"Maybe it's a good thing that I've got a tomboy on my team. Yukio is the one I have to keep and eye on and make sure he isn't goofing off somewhere. Tell me; do you miss our days as Genin?" Naruto shoved his chair back and propped his feet up on the desk and lacing his hands behind his head.

"Dobe, you and I were classified Genin not that long ago," Sasuke said actually trying not to smirk at the irony.

"You know what I mean, before our first Chuunin exam."

"Sure I miss not having any real responsibility, but I don't think I'd change anything."

"Even after all that has happened?" asked his friend as one eyebrow arched.

"Well, I don't want to go through any of it over again, but I think it all worked out in the end."

"Fair enough," he said.

"You?"

"Well, I miss being able to goof off and just be me, no strings attached. At the same time, I wouldn't have all the benefits I have now."

"Like what?"

"Sakura."

"Forget I asked," Sasuke said with a shake of his head. "I'll see you later. My team is waiting for me at the training grounds. Shouldn't you be training yours?"

"I had them working on tree climbing early this morning before our mission. Well, I'd better get this done before either Tsunade kills me or Sakura does when I come home late," the tall blonde said as he took his feet down off the desk. "Ja na."

"Dobe."

"Teme."

* * *

Training with these three pre-teens was nothing new for Uchiha Sasuke. He had worked with them in his classes at the academy. Sasuke hadn't bother to get to know his students back then, but he was quick to study their strength and weaknesses when they attended his classes.

Toriyama Yusuke was the student that had the worst scores in their class, but he was the hardest worker. He excelled in taijutsu and needed the most work on his ninjutsu. He reminded Sasuke of a brunette and toned down version of Rock Lee and he had a lot of potential, it was only a matter of getting the boy to understand the techniques more than anything. Sasuke had recently started helping the boy work on his bojutsu as the fighting techniques of the bo staff seemed to suit him.

Kanemoto Fumiko was a very bubbly preteen girl. She liked cloths and hair as much as any civilian girl of her age, but Sasuke needed her to focus on her ninjutsu, which could be very dangerous if she wasn't so worried about getting dirty or hurting her teammates during training. She had the most chakra of the three and she was already gaining some skill in water techniques. Her biggest weakness was that she didn't want to hurt anyone and that was something that only a life or death situation could break her of.

Sato, at first glance, looked very much like any other Aburame. Short, spiky brown hair, sunglasses, and coat with a collar that came up to his nose. One major difference was that his coat was dark blue, almost black and he was very outspoken for a member of his clan. He was attempting to master his father's best family jutsu which was a genjutsu attack created by the parasitic insects of his clan, the humming of their wings created illusions that could be surprisingly powerful. It was his best jutsu, but Sasuke knew that he was weak in the basic maneuvers and that was what he had decided to work on today since they had already completed this mornings mission.

Sasuke had Sato focus an attack on Yusuke who was caught in a low-level genjutsu, which was serving a second purpose of helping the other boy to work on canceling genjutsu. Sato was so focused on the illusion that he had failed to see or hear his sensei walk up right next to him, and this worried the Jounin.

"Keep your eyes soft. If you focus too hard on your goal, you'll lose your awareness of what is going on around you that could result in an enemy being able to walk right up to you like this," Sasuke said, as his stealth surprised Sato when he appeared behind him. His loss of concentration broke the illusion and Yusuke came back to reality, shaking his head in hopes that it would shake the images that still lingered.

"But the illusions won't work unless I focus all my chakra into it," the young Aburame replied.

"I'm not talking about your chakra, I'm simply talking about your senses, in this case your sense of vision. Your eyes were so focused on Yusuke that you lost the use of your peripheral vision, which would have enabled you to see me coming toward you. If the focus on your goal is so strong that you forget to notice what's going on around you, that will be your weakness and others will be sure to take advantage of this," his sensei instructed, passing on one of life's hard earned lessons. "The enemy isn't going to wait for you to take them out one at a time; you need to 'see underneath the underneath' as they say. You have the advantage of your insects to keep watch over the area around you, but don't get sloppy. You never know when you may run into someone that is the natural enemy to your kikaichu." Motioning to the other two kids to join them, Sasuke said. Turning toward where the other two members of his team were standing he stated, "And that goes for you two as well. The whole reason behind the existence of shinobi is the ability to study the opponent and learn their weakness before exploiting that weakness. Yusuke and Fumiko, I want the three of you to come at me and this time all of you keep your focus soft."

"Ne, but won't he get hurt if we attack him?" Fumiko asked the other boy naively.

"Na, sensei never gets hurt," replied Yusuke.

The three kids attacked their sensei who easily dodged their attacks, instructing as he did so. From the shade of a tree on the edge of the training field, Daisuke watched in amazement at how his uncle avoided even the best attempts of the Genin. Not only was he amazed at how his uncle was able to defend himself, but also at the accuracy of the Genin's weapons attacks, not a single one hit the intended target. Daisuke knew that Sasuke had taught most of the kids from his teams graduating class these kunai and shiriken techniques, but the new Chuunin assigned to teach them weaponry was still having them work on using the kunai as a defensive weapon and they had yet to learn any throwing techniques. Daisuke was obviously very good with using a kunai in this manner and he was more than ready for the more advanced techniques.

After another half hour of hand-to-hand instruction, Sasuke sent his team home to pack in preparation for their next mission, as they would be leaving early the next morning. He could sense someone watching them for the trees, but knew that it was only his nephew. Daisuke walked up to his uncle who started to adjust the targets on the trees to fit his own personal target practice.

"How was school?" the Jounin said, never once turning around as his nephew approached.

"It was OK. Udon-sensei had us working on ninjutsu classification most of the day," Daisuke replied. After a long pause while Sasuke started his own training Daisuke asked, "Ojisan, can you teach me how to throw kunai like they do?"

* * *

"Good, try again. This time don't concentrate so hard."

Daisuke was standing in the middle of a wooded area, three targets set up on trees opposite him. He held three kunai in his left hand and was in a throwing stance. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He snapped them back open and his expression was hard and focused as he whipped one kunai at each target; his right hand grabbing a kunai from his left each time. The kunai hit the targets, but only one was even close to the center. Each target had several other kunai embedded in it. There were more kunai on the ground around the targets. They had been at this for several hours and Daisuke was starting to look drained.

"Good job. I think that will do it for today," Sasuke said as he started to collect the kunai.

"But I know I can keep going!"

"Daisuke, you aren't going to be able to do it perfectly the first few times, or for a while until your muscles learn to do it from memory. At that point it will be second nature, but until then there is no need to push yourself past the point of exhaustion," he said as he walked toward the boy, placing a reassuring hand on Daisuke's shoulder. "I know you'll get it, just have patience."

"But I want to get stronger. I want to be able to protect…I mean, I wanted to protect…," he said in frustration as he hung his head. "I wanted to protect mom."

"I know. No one could have prevented your mother's death. You can honor her memory by doing the best _you_ _can_ do. Come on. Let's get some dinner so you can go to Naruto-sensei's," Sasuke said turning to walk down the path.

"Ne Ojisan, when are you coming back?" Daisuke said catching up to walk beside his uncle.

"I'll be gone only a couple of days with my team."

"Will I ever get to go on a mission with you?"

Sasuke actually let out a small chuckle at his enthusiasm. "You'll be on a team one day after graduating from the Academy. You probably wouldn't want to go on a mission with me; I attract all sorts of trouble."

"What kind of trouble, Ojisan?"

"Let's just say your father and I made some bad decisions that like to come back and stir up trouble for me every once in a while. I'll tell you all about it someday," he said ruffling his nephew's raven black locks. "Right now I'm hungry."

"Jisan!" Daisuke said in protest of having his hair messed up.

Sasuke just laughed. It felt good to really laugh.

* * *

Shizune walked around the small examination room as her current patient was lying back on the exam table; swollen abdomen exposed. Sakura hated doing these prenatal examinations, but it was hospital policy for even the medic ninja to have someone else check the baby's health. It was believed that it was better to have someone rational performing the exam than someone who was hormonal and biased.

Checking the size and position of the baby, Shizune asked, "So, do you want to know if it's a boy or girl?"

"I think I already know what it is, but Naruto is determined to wait until it is born. He's already threatened Tsunade that _no one_ is to know before he does and that he will not leave my side until this baby is born. He was heartbroken that he wasn't around for Hotaru's birth, even though he won't admit it," Sakura said with a sigh. "He's not hovering as much as he did the first time, but then again I've felt much better with this pregnancy than the last one. Hotaru took so much of my energy. He still does."

Shizune had to laugh at Sakura's humorous expression as she tried to look annoyed, but you could tell that she was happy with how her life had turned out from her contented, yet lopsided smile.

"How is his chakra control coming?" the medic asked as she continued in her examination routine.

"Better. He's too little to understand it in words, but he's not as frustrated as he once was. Naruto is really helping him to understand how to maintain a steady flow so much better. He really is great with kids," Sakura said as she pulled down her shirt now that Shizune was finished.

"It must have something to do with how Naruto-kun thinks," the veteran medic said with a laugh.

Sakura had to laugh at her senpai's rare attempt at a joke, "Maybe. He is pretty good with his Genin too. I'm just hoping that Hotaru will understand before he turns two. I'm not sure I want a headstrong and frustrated two-year-old and a new baby at the same time, but I don't really have a choice."

"Well, everything looks good, although I'm sure you knew that. It won't be long before there will be a new Uzumaki in the village. I wouldn't be surprised if this baby arrives right on schedule," Shizune said as she wrote down her notes in Sakura's chart.

Sakura walked out of the exam room to see Hotaru playing with Nara Toshihiro in the waiting room as Temari looked on.

"Thanks for watching him. I'm sure you know how it is with having a little one in the exam room with you," Sakura said as she approached Shikamaru's other half.

"Not a problem. Lucky for both of us I had an appointment right after yours. We need to space these kids out a little further next time though. I think Tsunade is going to have another stroke if this baby boom keeps spreading. Gaara is convinced that someone put something in Konoha's water. Suna has had nowhere near the baby boom that Konoha has had," the Suna kunoichi said. Temari was still in her standard purple and black dress as her baby bump hadn't formed yet.

Tenten walked down the hallway and greeted her two friends as they continued to watch the children play while Temari waited for her name to be called.

"So, Tenten, no daddy tagging along today?" Temari said, teasing her friend and former opponent.

"No, Neji made up some excuse about training with his uncle. I think he's still getting a lot of grief from the clan about us not being married yet. Of course, he never wants to talk about it," Tenten said, as she blew a stray strand of hair out of her face as she sat down on one of the nearby seats. She also wasn't far along enough to show yet and was wondering what it would feel like once she had reached Sakura's size.

"Now you two know what _not_ to do on missions when you're bored," Temari teased. "I would have thought at least one of you would have learned from our mistake."

"Hey, in our defense, we were already married and talking about having children," Sakura said as she crossed her arms over a swollen midsection. "And I was already pregnant with this baby when we went on that last mission together, so don't even go there."

Tenten merely blushed at the suggestion that she and Neji had done such a thing, no matter how true it was.

"At least Gaara didn't rush us on the marriage issue. Shikamaru is really good at putting on the breaks when he feels pushed into something he doesn't want to do," said the Suna kunoichi.

"Yeah, I have a mental image of that one," laughed Sakura. "Well, maybe it was a good thing that your Genin didn't pass, Tenten. Feel free to stop by the prenatal exercise class later. I for one am determined to work on my post baby body before this kid is even born. One more month! I'm so ready to get this baby out!"

"I'll keep that in mind," Tenten said as she laughed at Sakura's eagerness. "I think Lee has his own ideas about how to help me through this pregnancy. I plan on playing along at least until the second trimester, then I'll probably join your class. You would think he was the father or something the way he is acting. I've had to hold Neji back on more than one occasion from hitting him. I'm glad Tsunade has Lee and his Genin on missions most of the time."

"OK, Nara Temari, you're up," the nurse interrupted from behind the desk.

"I'll be back soon, listen to Uzumaki-san, Toshi," Temari said to her son as she disappeared down the hall leaving Sakura and Tenten to catch up on all the Konoha gossip while the little ones played on the floor before them.


	18. Enter: Uzumaki ?

Thanks to all my reviewers and readers. You guys are awesome. This little tale of mine is coming to a close and I hope you've enjoyed the ride.

**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. The fluff is all mine.**

**Chapter 18: Enter: Uzumaki ???**

The sun was just coming up over the edge of the horizon, giving off an orange glow as it slowly climbed into the sky. The air was already very warm for this time of year and the three Genin waiting for their sensei appeared to be ready to crawl back into bed instead of waiting out here this early in the morning. Naruto had started these early morning sessions so that he could spend more time at home with his family as Sakura's due date approached. He was far from being a morning person, but it was only way he could think of that allowed him time off in the evenings. However, he was late this morning, leaving his team to wonder what had happened to their usually punctual sensei. Yukio was the most alert of the three but he was already tired of waiting and started to mess with something that looked like an explosive tag on a coffee can.

Ryu, who knew just what a prankster his teammate was commented, "What are you doing, baka? You're going to get sensei mad at you again. You know that he'll get you back, right?"

Yukio was only half listening as he started to place the modified coffee can in a hole that he had already made near the training ground fence. "It's his fault that he's late. Really, what could he do to me?" Yukio replied, covering his trap.

"You really are an idiot aren't you?!" Kohana scolded. "My dad said sensei use to be the worst prankster in the village when he was little. You would be in so much trouble if he paid you back for whatever stunt you're planning."

"Yeah, right," Yukio said, dusting off his hands and trying to look as innocent as possible.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang behind Yukio that made them jump; Yukio landed on his face, pushed over from the force of the small explosion and the other two landed on their backsides. They could hear laughing coming just to the east of where they were laying as their sensei walked toward them through the clearing smoke.

"Yukio, you should learn to listen to your teammates. They would have saved you from that face full of dirt," Naruto laughed, as Yukio looked up and started to spit dirt out from his mouth. "You need to put a lot more effort into it if you are going to pull a prank on me," he said, still laughing at the look on his Genin's faces. "Now, thanks to Yukio, you are going to start this morning's training with a 20 laps around the training field through the trees."

The three pre-teens groaned as they brushed the dirt off and started walking onto the training grounds. Kohana stepped on Yukio's upper back since he was the slowest one to get up, putting his face right back in the dirt which earned Kohana a glare from him when he lifted his head again. Yukio got up and while he was still brushing off his pants, noticed a kunai sticking out of the lid of his trap that was lying some good 5 meters from where he had set it. Grumbling, he took off into the trees to follow his team.

Naruto just watched the three as they jumped onto some high branches and started their laps. He had planned on working on formations this morning, but maybe it was time to challenge these three a little more. 'Their chakra control is getting better, maybe now I can focus on getting them to stop fighting and start working together. I think a little six on three battle is in order,' their Jounin instructor thought to himself.

* * *

"Kasan, please, stop fussing. I don't need to sit down. I'm perfectly capable of making lunch before I go to my appointment," Sakura protested.

"Sakura, you may be a doctor, but I'm your mother. I've got this. Go sit down and rest while you can," her mother ordered as she turned back to making homemade onigiri for their lunch.

Sakura sighed and decided that this was one fight that wasn't worth having today. Her mother had insisted that she come over and help with Hotaru because Sakura's due date was the next day. The kunoichi had insisted that she felt perfectly fine and that sitting all day was worse for her than walking around, but still, Sakura wasn't the only one in the Haruno family that was blessed with a strong will.

Hotaru was playing with his ninja figures on the floor, pretending that they were leaping along the roofs of his block "houses" as he had seen his parents and their friends do countless times. Sakura sat on the couch watching him, but the urge to move around was too strong and she had started feeling small contractions all morning, but figured that they were weak enough that it hadn't warranted telling Naruto or her mother. Naruto was out with his Genin on the practice fields. True to his word, he had refused to accept any missions all week, insisting that his team needed to stay in Konoha. Tsunade knew why but had kept pushing to get him to take one. He had adamantly refuse of course, but his buttons were easy to push and she figured that this would be the last time she would get to push them as the Hokage.

"Hmm," Sakura moaned, as she stopped in mid-pace as that one was stronger than the last. Running her hand over her protruding midsection, she could tell that labor would be following within the next 12 hours as it was taught and firm beneath her fingers. She could feel the baby kicking in protest at being squeezed, as there was no more room for it to move comfortably within her body. Reaching for the radio that Naruto had left her, Sakura turned it to the channel he preferred to use while out training the Genin and put the earpiece in her ear. As she did so, she felt another contraction followed by a small popping sensation near where she had laid her hand on top of her baby bump.

'Hm, that's odd,' the med-nin said to herself. Sakura pondered what it could have been, but nothing else happened once she felt the pop. As her muscles relaxed, she pushed the on button and listened for the sound of her husband on the other end. Once she heard the sound of Naruto training the kids, she pushed the 'talk' button and said, "Naruto, can you hear me? It's Sakura."

He had left the hands free option of his radio turned on and she could hear Naruto breathing hard over the radio; calling time out to his Genin. "Hai, Sakura-chan. What is it?" he said in between breaths. Even though he had planned to go easy on the pre-teens in this 'battle' of sensei's clones versus Genin, Ryu had just sent him a very well done Shadow Shuriken attack that had given him more of a workout than expected. Yukio and Kohana had actually started working together instead of fighting each other for once and had almost caught three clones against a tree during a wire based attack before they turned into three logs with a Replacement Jutsu. Naruto's clones popped out of existence as he listened for his wife's voice to come over the radio.

"Naruto, I think you'd better call it a day. I have a feeling this kid is coming tonight," she said rather matter-of-factly.

"Tonight?!" his said as his voice cracked into a higher octave over the radio. Sakura had to keep herself from laughing at his response. Clearing his throat, Naruto said in a much more composed tone, "I'll be right there. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. My contractions only just started becoming serious, but I think I need to get Hotaru settled before they get any stronger. Kasan is here, so just finish up what you are working on and I'll see you soon," Sakura said.

"Os!" came his voice over the radio.

Sakura put down the radio, wincing, as another contraction hit, this one was a little stronger than the last and a little sooner than she had expected. She began to feel a very small trickle of liquid running down her leg. Now she knew what it was that she had felt earlier. Her water broke up high on the top of her uterus, the pressure of her muscles were keeping it from all going at once and she needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Once the contraction was over, she walked back into the kitchen.

"Kasan, my water just broke and Naruto is on his way home," she began before filling in her mom what she needed done while they were gone.

While they were in the kitchen talking, Naruto burst through the door of their apartment, breathing hard, with sweat rolling down his face. He had decided that he needed to get home right away, even though Sakura had said that she was 'OK'; leaving his Genin team on the practice field wondering what was going on, but glad that they got the rest of the day off. Hotaru sat on the floor looking wide-eyed at his daddy, as he had never seen him like this before.

"Sakura, are you ready to go?" he puffed, holding onto the doorknob to steady himself as he tried to catch his breath. She could tell he was panicking by how pale he looked.

"I'm fine, the contractions only just started getting serious. But, I think you need to calm down before you pass out. I don't need you forgetting how to breathe. I need you to remind _me_, remember? I'll be ready to leave when you are, " she said. She waddled up to him and began to stroke his whisker marks, which immediately calmed him down. Catching his breath, Naruto nodded his head in understanding. Once his breathing was under control, he picked her up in one movement and carried her bridle style across the roofs to the hospital, a Shadow Clone flying at full speed to the Hokage's office. Naruto wasn't the only one who had missed the birth of their first child and Tsunade didn't want to miss this one, no matter how many prenatal appointments she had missed due to Hokage business.

* * *

Naruto barley had time to slow down before he reached the double doors of the Hospital. He rushed in through them, almost knocking down a fellow ninja who nearly didn't have time to hold open the doors for the panicking Jounin and his wife. Sakura was in mid contraction and the way he was carrying her wasn't helping her deal with the pain, no matter how gently he was holding her. Naruto sat her down gently in the first wheel chair he saw and stormed up to the desk, as he was beginning to panic again.

"We need a room! Hurry!"

He could feel his wife's strong grip on his arm that was holding onto the wheel chair.

"Naruto, if you don't calm down I'm going to hit you!" she winced as the contractions were steadily getting stronger and no matter how much training she had, it didn't help when it was her own body that was going through the pain.

"S-Sorry,S-Sakura-chan," he stuttered, his arm beginning to sting from the grip she had on it.

The nurse behind the desk motioned for them to follow and it wasn't long before they were situated in one of the delivery rooms, which thankfully was a much better place to have a baby than in the makeshift hospital room in the Hokage Monument. Once Sakura was halfway settled, Naruto reluctantly left her to fill out paperwork down the hall, while a nurse checked Sakura's vital signs. When the nurse was done, she too left the room, leaving Sakura alone for the moment. Trying to relax on the not very comfortable bed in between contractions, she found herself just focusing on taking breaths and she subconsciously ran a hand glowing with comforting chakra over her own abdomen, trying to check on the static of her baby and ease the pain. She was thankful she could focus chakra this pregnancy, but it still wasn't enough to even remotely dull the pain.

Lying there, she could feel the beginning of another contraction when all of a sudden, the damn finally broke and the pain started to become unbearable.

"NARUTO!" she called, doubling over in pain. The contractions were getting serious now and she was finding it hard to breathe through this one.

Tsunade walked in only to find her apprentice doubled over in pain on the hospital bed. The Sannin rushed to her side. She could tell Sakura was panicking and that was the last thing her apprentice needed to be doing right now.

"Breathe, Sakura, just breathe," the Sannin said, taking a hold of her hand and brushing away some of the hair from her face. "Focus on breathing, it will be done soon."

Struggling to take air into her lungs, Sakura found that once she got some air moving that the pain was more manageable. She felt like an idiot having to be reminded to breathe by Tsunade. Ironically, that was usually what she had to remind her patients when she did her rounds in the maternity ward. The contraction was almost done by the time Naruto came back into the room. He had heard her scream, but to tell you the truth, he was scared to go back in and had waited until Tsunade had gone ahead of him.

"Naruto, when this is over, you are _never_ going to touch me again!" his wife threatened, now that the contraction was over.

She was breathing hard and the sweat was starting to darken the color of her hair. Tsunade was going over the chart now and but was feeling a little empathetic for the dazed and confused blonde with the hurt and worried expression on his face. He hadn't realized how bad the pain of childbirth was having missed it the first time, and Naruto was starting to wonder if maybe his wife had the right idea.

Tsunade walked up to him and whispered, "Naruto, I don't think she means that, but I would suggest that you go over there and keep her calm. She's not going to kill you if you just hold her hand and keep her focus on anything other than the pain. The more relaxed she is, the better it will go for both her and the baby." Giving him a gentle nudge in his wife's direction, she continued, "I'll handle the rest."

* * *

Word had gotten out that Sakura was in labor and people started showing up randomly to sit and wait for news in the waiting room. Sakura's parents were the first to arrive. Hotaru was confused and a little frustrated that he couldn't see his mommy and daddy and his baachan didn't seem to have the right answers to calm the little Uzumaki. The Naras arrived not long after. Tohishiro became a good distraction for Hotaru as they found the stash of toys kept by the hospital for this very reason. Next, the old members of team 8 filtered in, adding another toddler to the mix as Kita was determined to keep the boys in line by starting a tea party. Ino and her two arrived shortly thereafter and soon the waiting room was full of anxious parents and their busy toddlers making it look more like a preschool playgroup than a waiting room.

Sasuke arrived to find a waiting room full of commotion and was content to sit in the hall away from the noise. He had sent his Genin home for the day and with school still in session, it would be a few hours before his nephew would be home. He could see Naruto's old Chuunin team coming down the hall toward him and Erika paused while the boys went to see what news they could find out about their old taicho and his wife. Sitting down next to Sasuke, she gave him a tender and knowing smile to which he nodded in return. They quietly sat there and waited together in the hallway, without speaking a word to each other.

* * *

The contractions continued to get stronger and stronger as time passed. Sakura in a hospital gown and Naruto was just in a mesh undershirt and khakis, doing his best to stay calm and focused. They had eased into a routine with Naruto alternating between rubbing her back and holding her hand to help her through each contraction. He was finding that all his training had not prepared him for this. One of the things that he avoided was causing Sakura pain, yet here she was in the most excruciating pain a woman ever goes through and there wasn't much he could do about it. He was feeling small and helpless, and for the strongest Ninja in the village, that wasn't helping his confidence. Naruto had hoped he had overcome these feelings uselessness long ago.

Feeling a little bit like a useless tool, Naruto decided that he would go get some more ice chips while she was in between contractions. Escaping out into the hall, he found several of his former classmates and friends waiting in the seating area across the hall. Choji and Shikamaru were deep in the middle of a shogi game while the women caught up on their mommy time, the kids busy playing on the floor. Lee was in the hall doing thumb push-ups while the rest of the men were discussing topics of their own, Akamaru taking a nap next to his owner on the floor. Kiba was the first to notice a tired blonde standing in the hall watching them, apparently too dazed to remember why he was standing there in the first place.

"How's it going in there?" Kiba asked an obviously confused and worried Naruto.

"To tell you the truth, I feel a little out of my element in there," Naruto said rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm sure you're doing fine, Naruto-kun," Hinata said. Noticing the cup in Naruto's hand she said, "Here, you sit down with Kiba and I'll go get some more ice for Sakura. You look like you're about ready to pass out."

Handing Hinata the cup, Naruto replied, "Thanks, Hinata."

Sitting down next to Kiba, he took a big breath and put his head in his hand, trying to relax himself.

"Man, you don't look so good," Kiba said.

"I feel like an idiot. I should have been there for her the first time and I don't feel like I'm helping now."

Hotaru noticed his daddy, dropped what he was doing, and ran over to him. Scooping up the boy in a big embrace, Naruto was reminded why they had to do this and held his oldest child tight. The little guy was glad to see his daddy, but could only take so much hugging as he started to squirm in his father's arms.

"Hey buddy," Naruto said, setting the little boy on the floor. "Where's Baachan?"

"There," the redhead said as he pointed to his grandma who was still sitting on the floor where she had been playing with the children. Naruto nodded to his mother-in-law before Hinata returned with the cup of ice.

"There you go, Naruto-kun," she said as she handed him the cup.

Cup in hand, Naruto took a deep breath, feeling better at seeing the support team that was out in the waiting room just for them. Messing up his son's red locks, he stood up and turned to go back in the delivery room. He could see a raven-haired man leaning against the corner standing next to a young boy in the hall who simply nodded to his best friend. Naruto nodded in understanding back. Taking a deep breath, he let out a big sigh as he entered the doors leading to the delivery room, a determined look settling in his deep blue eyes.

"Go get 'm Naruto," Kiba called after him, followed by a bark from Akamaru and the cheers of encouragement coming from several others in the waiting room.

Upon entering the room, Naruto could tell that Sakura was having another contraction. He returned to her side and took her hand in his. She squeezed as hard as she could, practically breaking the bones in his hand, looking tired and pale, wet hair stuck to her forehead and face. She was the most beautiful he had ever seen her as she lay there on that delivery room bed.

"Naruto, feeling better?" she asked rhetorically as she could tell his complexion wasn't quite as pale as it was before he went into the hall.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I don't feel like I'm helping you much," he replied.

"You are helping much more than you know," She said before taking a few of the ice chips that he started to feed her. "But please don't leave me again. I need you. I don't think I can do this without you here."

"I'm not going anywhere. Believe it."

* * *

Another hour had passed, but still no baby. Since it didn't look like Sakura would be in the final stage of labor any time soon, Tsunade felt that it was OK to check in with one of her young Chuunin teams that had just returned from a mission with some injuries, leaving Sakura and Naruto alone. Sakura looked a mess. She was tired, sweaty and ready to be done with this. Naruto looked worn out too, but his natural lack of patience was starting to get the better of him and Tsunade's tardy return was causing him some worry. When he wasn't coaching Sakura he was pacing the room like a caged animal. As soon as he heard Sakura starting to breath harder, he came over to the bed and knelt down so that they were eye-to-eye.

"How are you holding up Sakura-chan?" he asked, replacing the washcloth on her forehead with a new, cooler one.

"I've been better," she replied sarcastically.

Another contraction hit and she grabbed a hold of his arm, as it was the first thing within reach, pain shooting through it the harder she squeezed in response to the strength of the contraction. He gritted his teeth as he tried to push the pain out of his mind.

"Breath, Sakura, focus on me and just breath," he coached.

Once the contraction was over, she noticed the finger marks she had left on his arm and if her face wasn't already red, her embarrassed blush would have been noticeable.

"Oh, Naruto. I'm sooo sorry. I didn't mean to do that," she said as tears started to stream down her cheeks. "I'm just so tired and the pain is getting worse. I don't know if I can do this again."

"Shh. I'm right here. Just hang in there," he said pulling her into a hug as her tears flowed freely now. "I love you and so does Hotaru. I know for a fact that all of our friends and family out in the hall are eager to meet our new little one. You are the strongest person I know. It will be over soon, I promise."

"Easy for you to sa..," she said as her eyes got really wide.

"Sakura-chan, what is it?" he asked, his voice laced with worry.

"Naruto, get Tsunade! This baby's coming NOW!" she screeched.

"Ha-hai."

Naruto shot off toward the door to get Tsunade and just about ran her over in the doorway.

"Baachan! Nice timeing!"

* * *

"OK, Sakura, just once more and PUSH!" Tsunade ordered.

Sakura put her best effort into pushing through the contraction, giving it her best battle cry in the process. Naruto was holding on to one leg while Shizune had the other. He was doing his best not to lose it, as he was witnessing something that was both miraculous and a real eye opener. It made him appreciate his wife even more for helping others through it as well as doing it herself just to bring another life into the world. With a loud cry, the baby was born and Sakura was able to relax.

"Congratulations, it's a healthy boy," Tsunade announced with a great big smile on her face. "Naruto, would you like to cut the cord?"

Naruto looked a little scared and took a big gulp of air, but Sakura nodded her encouragement and he reluctantly took the surgery scissors in hand. Once he made the cut, it didn't take long for Tsunade to do the rest. She was trying not to smile at his shaking hand as he handed the instrument back to her.

"Let me hold him," Sakura demanded, arms outstretched toward her baby. Tears running down into her already sweat soaked hair.

"Just a minute, let me get him cleaned up a little," Shizune replied.

She had been acting as the head nurse and Tsunade had handed her the infant as soon as the cord had been cut. Once he was cleaned up a little and Shizune had completed a quick examination, she wrapped him in a soft blanket and gently placed the little bundle in his expectant mother's arms. The tears flowed freely from Sakura's eyes as she looked at the baby in her arms. His head was covered in a thick matt of blonde hair, complete with little sideburns, loudly voicing his protest at having been born. His red face was a striking contrast to his golden blonde hair. He had his eyes closed, which only made his wide forehead all the more obvious.

"Yep, he's an Uzumaki. Good set of lungs on him," Tsunade said.

"Hey!"

Sakura let out a tired laugh. "Hey, baby. We did it," she said with a big smile.

The baby started to finally calm down now that he was secure in his mother's arms, enough to let out a small yawn.

"He looks a lot like a blonde version of your father, Sakura, but he has your forehead," Naruto said as he gazed at their newborn baby.

"What's that supposed to mean, Uzumaki!"

"Nothing, only that it will be very kissable," he commented as he leaned forward to give her a kiss on the forehead, followed by a kiss to the baby.

Sakura smiled and put a hand on his whiskered cheek. "If you were allowed to touch me, flattery would get you everywhere," she said, to which he responded with a laugh.

"After what I just witnessed, it's going to take me a while to even think of doing that," he replied with flushed cheeks.

Naruto just watched his wife in amazement. She had already forgotten the pain this little one was causing only moments before and even though she looked a mess, he was falling for her all over again.

"Well, does he have a name?" Tsunade asked the couple who were perfectly content to watch the little baby before them.

"Higashi, Uzumaki Higashi," Naruto replied. It was a name they had decided on a while ago, but they hadn't told anyone before now. Naruto had started to stroke the little fingers before they instinctively clasped onto his large one, threatening to never let go.

Tsunade turned to the nurse that had assisted them during the delivery, "Mayuki, can you let those vultures in the waiting room know that the Uzumakis have a healthy baby boy and that only immediate family will be allowed to visit until they are moved to a room down the hall."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the young nurse replied before exiting the room.

Tsunade watched the little family a moment longer before she went back to her physician's duties. Sakura and Naruto were so wrapped up in their newest addition that they didn't notice anyone or anything going on in the room. They watched the tiny little blonde for what seemed like an eternity while Tsunade and Shizune finished what they needed to do before any visitors were aloud in the room.

Moments later…_Knock, knock_

"Is it OK if we come in?" Sakura's father asked from the doorway. "I think someone wants to see what's going on."

"Haruno-san, yes I think they are ready for at least a few visitors," Shizune said, as everything was in order enough for immediate family to visit.

Hotaru was hiding behind his Ojiichan's leg, looking apprehensive about this funny smelling place with all the machines. Naruto looked up to see his oldest son and walked over to go get him.

"Hotaru, come meet your baby brother, Higashi," the blonde Jounin said as he picked up a worried little boy. Lifting him up high enough to see the newest addition to their family, Hotaru reached out and patted the baby gently on his blanket-covered leg.

"Baby," he said as he looked down at the blonde in his mommy's arms. "Mommy OK?"

"Yes, Hotaru, Mommy's OK," Sakura said as her tears started to pool in her eyes as she was surrounded by her sweet little ones. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she silently cursed the sudden change in hormones.

"OK," Hotaru announced seemingly satisfied at his mother's answer as he squirmed down onto the floor and took his Daddy's hand. "Go play Daddy," the redhead said, tugging on his father's hand, attempting to lead Naruto toward the toys in the hall.

Everyone had to laugh at the little redhead as he apparently was done with introductions and had more important things in mind, at least as far as two year olds were concerned. Hotaru looked a little confused as to why the big people were laughing, but giggled when his Daddy picked him up and tossed him into the air, catching him in a great big hug.

* * *

Later on, Naruto was standing outside the nursery window watching Higashi sleep, Hotaru fast asleep on his Daddy's shoulder. Most everyone had stopped by to offer their congratulations except for Sasuke, who was coming towards him from down the hall. Erika had offered to take Daisuke home only a little while ago, giving Sasuke time to talk with Naruto alone.

"Hn, looks like his Dad," Sasuke said quietly, so as not to wake the toddler on his brother's shoulder.

"Thanks."

"Hope he gets his Mom's temperament though."

"Hey!" Naruto said a little too loud, but Hotaru stayed asleep.

They stood there a while in silence, watching the baby on the other side of the glass. Naruto was too tired to say much and Sasuke didn't have much to say.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Tsunade said as she stepped up next to Naruto.

"No, nothing much," the blonde replied.

"You did a real good job today, Gaki," Tsunade said, as she gently stroked some red hair out of the face of Hotaru while he slept.

"Thanks, although I pretty sure Sakura did all the work," Naruto protested.

"Naruto, most men would have been kicked out before the end. You did a good job too. You make this old woman proud," Tsunade said. She looked tired, but very happy for the two kids that were the closest she had to kids of her own.

"Come on, Baachan, you're not _that_ old," Naruto replied, subconsciously swaying gently while his son slept.

"Yes, I am, Naruto. I may not look it, but it is time to hang up the old Hokage hat so to speak. I want to have at least a few years to enjoy all these grandbabies of mine," Tsunade said, her eyes still focused on the sweet sleeping face before them.

Sasuke turned to look at the Hokage, realization at where this conversation was going in his coal black eyes.

"Tsunade-sama, you're not suggesting…," Sasuke started.

"Naruto, I'm retiring next year and I want you to become the next Hokage," Tsunade said before Sasuke could finish his sentence. "Once your Genin move up to Chuunin we'll make it official."

The blonde turned to face his Hokage, his face showing the disbelief at what he had just heard.

"Naruto, I think you are ready," Tsunade said as she patted his arm, the tall blonde was struck dumb and didn't know what to say.

Sasuke jabbed his brother in the back of the ribs, effectively helping the news to sink in.

"Hokage?" Naruto said, his voice cracking for the second time that day. "Hokage," he said in a much calmer voice, a great big smile spread across the face of the future Hokage. Standing there with his best friend beside him and surrounded by his children made this the sweetest day of his life. Having Sakura here with him in this moment would have only made it better, but she was getting some much needed sleep down the hall. It had been a busy day indeed.


	19. Epilogue: The Beginning of a New Era

My reviewers and readers are awesome! This is it. Enjoy.

**Naruto and Co. belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. The story is all mine.**

**Epilogue: The Beginning of a New Era  
**

"Naruto, hurry up, we're going to be late," Sakura called up the stairs. Sakura could feel someone tugging on her formal kimono. She was wearing the kimono her parents had given her for a wedding present. It was a delicate pink with lighter pink cherry blossoms all along the bottom as well as the lower half of the long sleeves, completed with a red obi. Looking down she could see the deep blue eyes of her three year old looking up at her from where he sat on the entryway step.

"Mommy, I can't find my shoe. Help please?" Hotaru said as he looked up at his mother.

Sakura readjusted the one year old on her hip so that he was sitting more securely. The little boy just held on to her, as he was use to being toted around while Sakura chased his older brother. Both boys were wearing their own formal kimonos, similar to the one Naruto owned, blue basket weave print with the Uzumaki swirl embroidered randomly throughout. However, Higashi was teething again and the front of his kimono was already getting wet with drool.

"It should be right where I told you to put it this morning when we came home from your play date with Toshi and Kita," Sakura replied.

"I don't see it," Hotaru replied.

"It's right there next to Daddy's sandals. Hurry up and put it on please," Sakura said as she ruffled the redhead's locks before going into the living room to look for a towel to clean Higashi's face, as well as a pacifier for him to chew on during the ceremony.

"Honey, I can't find my speech," her husband called as he came down the stairs.

"It's right where you left it on the counter. Although, I don't see what you're so nervous about seeing as how you'll probably just wing it like you always do," Sakura said.

She didn't even looking up at Naruto while she set Higashi down so that he could toddle around the living room while she helped her other two boys get ready. Naruto, in full Hokage robes similar to the ones his father use to wear, rounded the corner into their kitchen in search of his lost document. Their lives have been a rush of activity this past week and it was no surprise that Sakura was the steady one that everyone counted on to keep their busy lives in order. What with their move into the Hokage Mansion's family quarters and the transition of turning what was once Tsunade's office into Naruto's, it had been a very busy week indeed.

The bonus about these new living quarters is that each boy got their own room and there was plenty of room for inviting their friends over. It also meant that Naruto would be available to everyone in the village at all hours, which was something Sakura had been secretly dreading the closer they got to his inauguration. She treasured their quiet moments together, no matter how few and far between they were with two small children as well as their busy careers. Now, she just hoped that they would still see each other more than in passing as his duties as Hokage were bound to change that.

"Found it, thanks Sakura-chan. I thought about just making it up as I go, but Baachan threatened to put me in traction if I tried it," Naruto said, his face paling at the memory of Tsunade's threat. He walked toward her and looked her up and down as it was the first time he had had a chance to really look at her all day. "By the way," he began as he forcefully pulled her by her waist into his arms. "Remind me to talk you into wearing that Kimono more often. You look amazing," he said with mischief in his eyes and a Cheshire cat grin on his face. "Do you think they'll notice if we are a little late?"

"Oh no you don't! It took me two hours to get us all ready to go and now that the boys are finally ready I want to get out the door before we have any more minor catastrophes," Sakura said in protest of the thoughts she knew he was having from the look in his blue eyes.

"You're no fun, Sakura-chan," Naruto said as he feigned a pout. He quickly recovered from his disappointment before announcing, "OK, boys, let's go!"

Naruto swooped up his youngest, who giggled at the sudden movement of being hoisted into his father's strong arms, blue-green eyes locking onto his father's face as he reached for the blue crystal Naruto still wore around his neck. Naruto absentmindedly pried the little fingers free before he put his free arm around Sakura's waist, escorting her and Hotaru out the door.

* * *

"And most of all, I promise to protect this village with my life as I have always done. Believe it!" Naruto said as he finished his speech. Giving his nice guy pose, complete with his signature smile and a thumbs up; blue eyes shining out from under the infamous Hokage hat. The crowd let loose an enormous roar as they cheered their approval of their new Hokage.

Sakura stood by her husband, tears of pride in her eyes as she watched him. Higashi was once again securely on her hip and she took Naruto's hand in her free one and gave it a loving squeeze. Hotaru was by his mother's side and had been hanging on to her kimono the whole time as he watched his father in amazement. Naruto turned his smile onto his family, his smile broadening as he looked at the woman who had started out as a teammate and woman of his dreams, but had become his partner and lover after everything they had gone through together. Tears came into his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Looking around him on the roof of the Hokage Mansion, where he had given his speech, he saw his extended family. All the members of the Konoha 12 were there complete with their various significant others.

Kiba and Hinata were there, their now 4 year-old daughter standing by Hinata's side as she held on tightly to her new white puppy, lavender eyes wide in awe. Shikamaru was holding his baby daughter, Amaya, while Temari held an energetic Toshihiro firmly in front of her with both hands preventing their 4 year-old son from disappearing into the crowd like she knew he would if she let go. Neji and Tenten were standing together while Tenten held their baby Keiji who was the the spitting image of his father. He had also been speared the Birdcage Seal since Hinata and Neji had both opposed it and Naruto and Tsunade had convinced enough members of the Hyuuga clan to finally do away with the practice.

Ino and Mitsuhiro stood with their twins, Ino gave him a wink that made him laugh. Choji had his fiancé with him, a petite woman who had once been a waitress at his favorite BBQ joint. Shino was also standing with his new wife, an arranged marriage to a woman who was a distant cousin of his in the Aburame clan and also a kikaichu user. Lee was standing next to his Genin as he gave his nice guy pose when he locked his wide eyes with Naruto's blue.

And last, but not least was Sasuke. He was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, trying to look unimpressed, but Naruto knew better. Daisuke was by his side with a wide grin on his face as he looked at his adopted uncle. The boy was now the top of his class and threatening to graduate the Academy early much like his father, Itatchi, had done. Sasuke's Genin were standing in front of him as well, at attention as their sensei had instructed. Erika, Tora, and Ren stood nearby. There were rumors that Sasuke and Erika had been seeing each other, but both parties denied it. However, Naruto and Sakura knew better. Tora and Ren were in full ANBU gear and part of Naruto's personal guard.

Sai was also there as was his duty as ANBU commander, expression hidden by his mask even though Naruto was sure a cheesy smile was plastered to his face. Kakashi stood with hands shoved in his pockets, book stored for another time. His one eye showed his smile as the wrinkle lines around it were becoming more obvious each passing year. He was standing between Guy and Kurenai. Next to Kurenai stood a miniature Asume as Seimei was now almost tall enough that the top of his spiked hair was in line with her shoulder. Asuma's son had apparently inherited his father's height. Konohamaru stood next to his cousin along with Moegi and Udon.

Naruto had put his Genin, soon to be Chuunin, to work during the ceremony and they were standing by waiting for further instruction. Although, not one of them were aware that all nine promotions, including all members from Sasuke and Lee's team, were sitting on Naruto's desk waiting for a signature. It seemed that all nine rookies from their class, for the second time in the history of Konoha, made it through the second phase of the Chuunin Exam.

The list of ninja present for Naruto's inauguration could go on and on as they were all there, missions on hold until approved by the new Hokage.

The last person he acknowledged was standing off to his left, in full Kazekage robes, save the hat, which he had hanging off the back of his gourd. Gaara was there as a support for not only their ally, but to stand by the side of his friend as he realized his dream. Who would have thought that these two village outcasts would one day be the leaders of their respective villages? Not only that, they were leading the ninja world into a time of peace. For as long as there are ninja, there will be a need for a leader to guide them. The world was changing and one day there may not be a need for ninja, but until then, both Gaara and Naruto had vowed that they would take on the challenge of fighting for what they believed to be right and to protect those that were precious to them.

And so begins the tale of the new leaders of Konohagakur no Sato.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but my muse has been begging me to work on a new idea and I had to deal with it before I started to go crazy. I know that there is a lot more you would love to read of my story, but instead of making you wait for ideas for this story line to formulate this is where my tale ends for now. I also don't think I could carry on an epic novel as this is now far enough away from the canon for me to be comfortable in doing that. Feel free to mark me in your Author Alerts if you would be interest in more as I am thinking of putting together a set of oneshots that go along this storyline as ideas come to me. The collection will possibly be a mix of both canon character and the next generation of OC's, but like I said, I still need a little inspiration first. In fact, I already have a new story underway that will be posted once I'm satisfied with it. Also, if you have any ideas, PM me and maybe I'll be able to do something story worthy with the ideas.

Ja Ne,

tosakuai


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